1Short title
This is the Medicines and Poisons Act 2014.
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Bill homepageThis is the Medicines and Poisons Act 2014.
This Act comes into operation as follows —
sections 1 and 2 — on the day on which this Act receives the Royal Assent;
the rest of the Act — on a day fixed by proclamation and different days may be fixed for different provisions.
In this Act —
adopted code has the meaning given in section 132(1);
Agvet Code of Western Australia has the meaning given in the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Western Australia) Act 1995 section 3;
authorised health professional means a health professional who has a professional authority;
CEO means the chief executive officer of the Department;
compliance notice means a notice given under section 71;
corporate officer, in relation to a body corporate, means an individual who is an officer, as defined in the Corporations Act 2001 (Commonwealth) section 9, of the body corporate;
Department means the department of the Public Service principally assisting in the administration of this Act;
drugs of addiction record means the record kept under section 88;
health professional means a person who is —
a registered health practitioner; or
a veterinarian; or
in a class of persons prescribed by the regulations for the purposes of this definition;
investigator means a person designated under section 95(1) to be an investigator;
licence means a licence granted under Part 4 Division 2;
licensee means the holder of a licence;
manufacture has the meaning given in section 6;
medicine means a substance that is a Schedule 2, 3, 4 or 8 poison;
needle and syringe programme means a programme to do one or more of the following principally for the purpose of preventing the spread of infectious diseases that are carried in the blood —
to supply people with any of the following —
sterile hypodermic syringes;
sterile hypodermic needles;
things that may be used in connection with the administration, by injection, of prohibited drugs (as defined in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1981 section 3(1)), for example, swabs and spoons;
to facilitate the safe disposal, after use, of any of the things mentioned in paragraph (a);
to advise, counsel or disseminate information to people;
permit means a permit granted under Part 4 Division 2;
permit holder means the holder of a permit;
pharmacist means a person registered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Western Australia) in the pharmacy profession;
pharmacy means premises registered as a pharmacy under the Pharmacy Act 2010 section 39;
poison means a substance that is a Schedule 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 poison;
prescribe, in relation to a poison, has the meaning given in section 7(1);
prescriber has the meaning given in section 7(1);
prescription has the meaning given in section 7(1);
professional authority means —
an authorisation under section 25 to administer, possess, prescribe, supply or use a medicine; or
an authorisation under section 26 to manufacture a medicine or use or possess a Schedule 7 poison;
register means the register kept under section 75;
registered health practitioner means a health practitioner who is registered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Western Australia) to practice a health profession;
Schedule 2 poison means a substance that is classified by regulations made under section 4(1) as a poison included in Schedule 2;
Schedule 3 poison means a substance that is classified by regulations made under section 4(1) as a poison included in Schedule 3;
Schedule 4 poison means a substance that is classified by regulations made under section 4(1) as a poison included in Schedule 4;
Schedule 5 poison means a substance that is classified by regulations made under section 4(1) as a poison included in Schedule 5;
Schedule 6 poison means a substance that is classified by regulations made under section 4(1) as a poison included in Schedule 6;
Schedule 7 notice means a notice given under section 72;
Schedule 7 poison means a substance that is classified by regulations made under section 4(1) as a poison included in Schedule 7;
Schedule 8 poison means a substance that is classified by regulations made under section 4(1) as a poison included in Schedule 8;
Schedule 9 poison means a substance that is classified by regulations made under section 4(1) as a poison included in Schedule 9;
strictly controlled substance means a substance that is classified by regulations made under section 5(1) as a strictly controlled substance;
substance includes a compound, preparation, mixture or plant;
supply has the meaning given in section 8;
therapeutic goods law means —
the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 (Commonwealth); or
the applied therapeutic goods law as defined in the Therapeutic Goods Law Application Act 2024 section 3(1);
veterinarian has the meaning given in the Veterinary Practice Act 2021 section 3.
voluntary assisted dying substance means a Schedule 4 or 8 poison that is a voluntary assisted dying substance as defined in the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2019 section 7(2).
[Section 3 amended: No. 27 of 2019 s. 174; No. 19 of 2021 s. 232(2)‑(4); No. 19 of 2024 s. 35.]
This is a compilation of the Medicines and Poisons Act 2014 and includes amendments made by other written laws. For provisions that have come into operation see the compilation table. For provisions that have not yet come into operation see the uncommenced provisions table.
Short title
Number and year
Assent
Commencement
Medicines and Poisons Act 2014 (other than s. 14(2))
13 of 2014
2 Jul 2014
s. 1 and 2: 2 Jul 2014 (see s. 2(a));Act other than s. 1, 2 and 14(2): 30 Jan 2017 (see s. 2(b) and Gazette 17 Jan 2017 p. 403)
Public Health (Consequential Provisions) Act 2016 Pt. 3 Div. 20
19 of 2016
25 Jul 2016
24 Jan 2017 (see s. 2(1)(c) and Gazette 10 Jan 2017 p. 165)
Local Government Legislation Amendment Act 2016 Pt. 3 Div. 23
26 of 2016
21 Sep 2016
21 Jan 2017 (see s. 2(b) and Gazette 20 Jan 2017 p. 648)
Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2019 Pt. 12 Div. 5
27 of 2019
19 Dec 2019
1 Jul 2021 (see s. 2(b) and SL 2021/83 cl. 2)
Veterinary Practice Act 2021 s. 232
19 of 2021
27 Oct 2021
18 Jun 2022 (see s. 2(b) and SL 2022/81 cl. 2)
Directors’ Liability Reform Act 2023 Pt. 3 Div. 39
9 of 2023
4 Apr 2023
5 Apr 2023 (see s. 2(j))
Therapeutic Goods Law Application Act 2024 Pt. 8 Div. 2
19 of 2024
14 May 2024
30 Aug 2024 (see s. 2(b) and SL 2024/177 cl. 2)
Statutes (Repeals and Minor Amendments) Act 2025 s. 27
14 of 2025
25 Sep 2025
26 Sep 2025 (see s. 2(b))
To view the text of the uncommenced provisions see Acts as passed on the WA legislation website.
Short title
Number and year
Assent
Commencement
Medicines and Poisons Act 2014 s. 14(2)
13 of 2014
2 Jul 2014
To be proclaimed (see s. 2(b))
Public Health (Consequential Provisions) Act 2016 Pt. 5 Div. 14
19 of 2016
25 Jul 2016
To be proclaimed (see s. 2(1)(c))
Evidence Act 2025 s. 492(1)
15 of 2025
25 Sep 2025
To be proclaimed (see s. 2(e))
[This is a list of terms defined and the provisions where they are defined. The list is not part of the law.]
Defined term Provision(s)
act 127(1)
adopted code 3, 132(1)
agent 13(3), 120(1) and (3)
Agvet Code of Western Australia 3
application to vary conditions 52(1)
appropriate licence 12, 74
appropriate permit 12, 74
approved analyst 124
authorised health professional 3
CEO 3
change of management 53
client 77(1)
code 132(1)
code documents, 132(1)
commencement day 140, 147(1)
compliance notice 3
control day 5(6)
corporate officer 3
Department 3
drug dependent person 77(1)
drug of addiction 77(1)
drugs of addiction record 3
employer 121(1) and (3)
entry warrant 93
executor 59(1)
expiry day 40(1)
former register 147(1)
fraudulent means 21(4)
grounds for taking action 28(1) and (3), 60(1) and (3)
health professional 3
in accordance with a prescription 7(3)
investigator 3
label 130(1)
licence 3
licensee 3
manufacture 3, 6(1)
meat 149(2)
medicine 3, 161(2)
needle and syringe programme 3
notice 74
notice under the repealed Act 143(1)
oversupplied person 77(1)
patient 13(2) and (3), 14(4), 91(3)
patient records 103(3)
permission 59(1)
permit 3
permit holder 3
person affected 63(1)
pharmacist 3
pharmacy 3
pharmacy business 9(1)
place 93
poison 3
prescribe 3, 7(1)
prescribed manner 129(1)
prescriber 3, 7(1)
prescription 3, 7(1)
principal 120(1) and (3)
professional authority 3
recipient 128(7)
register 3
registered health practitioner 3
relevant activity 41(1)
relevant regulatory authority 31(1)
repealed Act 134(1), 140
report 129(1)
responsible person 24(1)
restricted health professional 74
restricted place 102(3)
reviewable decision 33(1), 63(1), 73(1), 92(1)
Schedule 2 poison 3
Schedule 3 poison 3
Schedule 4 poison 3
Schedule 4 reportable poison 77(1)
Schedule 5 poison 3
Schedule 6 poison 3
Schedule 7 notice 3
Schedule 7 poison 3
Schedule 8 poison 3
Schedule 9 poison 3
specified 124, 146(5)
specified time 124
strictly controlled substance 3
substance 3
sufficient 41(1)
supplier 7(3)
supply 3, 8(1)
therapeutic goods law 3
transitional matter 146(2)
vehicle 93
vending machine 24(1)
veterinarian 3
voluntary assisted dying substance 3
© State of Western Australia 2025.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0). To view relevant information and for a link to a copy of the licence, visit www.legislation.wa.gov.au.
Attribute work as: © State of Western Australia 2025.
By Authority: GEOFF O. LAWN, Government Printer
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