TranslateProposed changes to interstate prescribing
Read about proposed changes to rules on dispensing interstate prescriptions for high-risk medicines in Tasmania and have your say.
Proposed changes to interstate prescribing
Currently, certain prescriptions issued interstate cannot be dispensed by Tasmanian pharmacists. The Tasmanian Government is proposing changes to the Poisons Act 1971 (the Act) and the Poisons Regulations 2018 (the Regulations) to allow these prescriptions to be dispensed in Tasmania in the future.
What will change?
Under the proposal, once the new laws have passed Parliament, Tasmanian pharmacists will be able to dispense a prescription for a Tasmanian that has been issued interstate, for any medicine, as long as the prescription complies with the requirements that already apply within Tasmania. This will include the psychostimulant medications commonly used to treat ADHD, medicinal cannabis, opioid analgesics and benzodiazepines.
In addition, travellers from interstate who bring valid prescriptions with them will be able to have these dispensed by local pharmacists.
This should make it easier for Tasmanians seeing interstate practitioners to access their medicines locally, and will also broaden the circumstances in which people in Tasmania can lawfully drive if using prescribed medicinal cannabis, as long as they are not impaired.
Your thoughts
Questions and comments can be sent to [email protected] until 24 April 2025.
When will these changes happen?
Before anything changes, the proposed laws need to go through Parliament. The laws are expected to be considered by Parliament in the first half of 2025 and an implementation date will be confirmed after that.
The Department of Health will work with relevant organisations to ensure all health professionals are appropriately notified prior to the commencement of the changes.
Key Documents
Download Draft Amendment Regulations
Frequently Asked Questions
How will the interstate prescribing changes work?
The proposed changes include the following key elements:
Interstate prescribing – the Bill creates interstate Ahpra-registered health practitioners with prescribing rights as ‘authorised health professionals’, thus ensuring they have the relevant powers to prescribe under Tasmanian law. The Bill also removes exemptions from definitions of medical practitioner, nurse practitioner, and dentist which previously limited powers of interstate practitioners in relation to narcotic substances and declared restricted substances.
Real-time prescription monitoring – for certain high-risk medicines, interstate prescribers will need to check TasScript for information about the patient’s prescription history, alerting them to potential risks in real time. Tasmanian pharmacists dispensing interstate scripts for these high-risk medicines for interstate patients will also be required to check the originating jurisdiction’s equivalent, as well as TasScript, before supplying the medicine.
Secretary authority – interstate prescribers will be required to seek the authority of the Secretary of the Department of Health prior to prescribing Schedule 8 medicines. Access information about this existing process.
Interstate dispensing – the Bill lifts an existing restriction which meant medicine dispensed interstate could only be brought into Tasmania physically by the person to whom it was prescribed or a family member, and had to be on their person or in their luggage. However, it is important to note legal and policy restrictions may apply to the carriage of medicines by other means, such as Australia Post.
National Real Time Prescription Monitoring – TasScript and interstate equivalents
To support the safe care of Tasmanian patients, interstate prescribers will be required to check TasScript before prescribing certain high-risk medicines, known as monitored medicines, to Tasmanian patients. This means anyone wanting to prescribe monitored medicines for Tasmanians will need to ensure they register with TasScript. This is a simple process detailed on the Department of Health website.
To support safe dispensing of monitored medicines to interstate patients, Tasmanian pharmacists wanting to dispense interstate prescriptions for these medicines are also required to check the system in the jurisdiction where the interstate traveller ordinarily resides.
Further information about TasScript.
Information on the national RTPM system including other jurisdictions is available from the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare.
How will prescribers and dispensers know what they need to do?
Many of the requirements for issuing and dispensing prescriptions are similar across different states. While it’s the responsibility of prescribers and dispensers operating in particular jurisdictions to understand the local requirements, the Department of Health will work with relevant organisations to provide appropriate supporting materials, including responses to questions raised through this consultation process.
