Medicine, not a crime.

What medical cannabis means in Fiji

Medical cannabis is a prescription medicine made from the cannabis plant, dispensed under clinical supervision for defined conditions. It is not recreational use, and it is not a street product: doses, purity and record-keeping are regulated the same way any other controlled medicine is. In Fiji, no legal pathway currently exists, so patients who could benefit either go without or risk criminal charges.

Why it matters for Fijian patients

Fijians living with drug-resistant epilepsy, chronic and cancer pain, PTSD, and chemotherapy-induced nausea have no lawful access to a medicine their doctors can already prescribe in Australia and New Zealand. A regulated scheme keeps care with clinicians, keeps supply out of the informal market, and lets Fiji build local pharmaceutical and agricultural capacity instead of importing every treatment.

What we are asking for

• A lawful medical cannabis access scheme regulated by the Ministry of Health.
• Doctor-led prescribing for defined qualifying conditions.
• Dispensing through licensed Fijian pharmacies only.
• Pharmaceutical-grade product standards, testing and labelling.
• A patient registry with annual public reporting on access and outcomes.
• An end to criminal charges for patients using cannabis on medical grounds.
• Fijian-grown supply, so the benefits stay with local farmers and workers.

Read more on medical cannabis reform

• Fiji cannot call itself ready for medical cannabis while burning the conversation down
• Government is building a medicinal industry — but the national conversation goes deeper
• National Geographic and the case for a science-based cannabis conversation
• Browse the Cannabis Fiji research library