Medicines and Poisons Act 2014

This is the Medicines and Poisons Act 2014.

This Act comes into operation as follows —

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 —

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 —

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 —

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 —

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.

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Attribute work as: © State of Western Australia 2025.

By Authority: GEOFF O. LAWN, Government Printer