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South Australian Prisons Accused of Medical Neglect: Law Student and Human Rights Advocate Demands Access to TGA-Approved CBD Oil Ahead of State Election

SOUTH AUSTRALIA – March 12, 2026 – Law student, author, and human rights advocate Marcia Anita Hobbs has launched a formal campaign demanding an immediate overhaul of healthcare policies within South Australian correctional facilities. The initiative targets the systemic denial of Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved medicinal cannabis—specifically non-intoxicating CBD oil—to incarcerated individuals, citing severe breaches of the internationally recognized "Equivalence of Care" mandate.

Hobbs, a vocal advocate for victims' rights and the establishment of an Australian Bill of Rights, argues that allowing prison administrators to override clinical prescriptions constitutes a dangerous institutional overreach.
"Deprivation of liberty is the sole punishment intended by a judicial sentence; deprivation of health is a violation of fundamental human rights," said Hobbs. "When non-medical correctional staff confiscate legally prescribed, non-intoxicating CBD oil under the guise of generalized security, they are engaging in unlawful enforcement. It forces vulnerable individuals into abrupt medical withdrawal, exacerbates PTSD and chronic pain, and fundamentally sabotages any genuine chance at rehabilitation."
The advocacy campaign closely mirrors the central themes of Hobbs’s published works, including UGLY HEROS - The Price of Unlawful Enforcement, Political Prisoner #192703, and UNBOUND Healing Beyond Judgment, which critique institutional bias and advocate for justice reform rooted in stabilization rather than arbitrary punishment.

With the South Australian State Election scheduled for March 21, Hobbs is utilizing the current government caretaker period to mobilize justice reform organizations. Formal Freedom of Information (FOI) applications have been lodged with the Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) and the Department for Correctional Services to expose the internal directives currently blocking patient access. A comprehensive policy brief is currently being finalized to present to the incoming Ministers for Health and Correctional Services.

The brief demands four immediate administrative reforms to bridge the custodial health divide:
* Mandated Continuity of Care: Ensuring incoming inmates with active, legally obtained CBD prescriptions do not face forced medical withdrawal.
* Restoration of Clinical Autonomy: Amending inter-agency agreements so prescribing decisions for non-intoxicating medicinal cannabis rest exclusively with treating SA Prison Health Service physicians, free from administrative veto.
* Secure Dispensing Logistics: Managing prescribed CBD oil via existing controlled-substance protocols during standard daily medication rounds.
* Targeted Pilot Program: Launching a monitored trial within a designated South Australian facility to track behavioral stabilization and decreased reliance on highly addictive opioid medications.

"We cannot expect to reduce recidivism while systematically destabilizing the mental and physical health of state wards," Hobbs noted. "True rehabilitation requires healing beyond judgment. It is time we ensure that all individuals have access to the exact same standard of modern medical treatment as the broader Australian public."

CONGRATULATIONS 🥳🎉✨️

Congratulations to our four Australian of the Year award winners 👏

• Australian of the Year: Katherine Bennell-Pegg - Astronaut
• Senior Australia of the Year: Professor Henry Brodaty AO - Dementia treatment pioneer
• Young Australian of the Year: Nedd Brockmann - Runner for homelessness
• Australia's Local Hero: Frank Mitchell - Indigenous construction leader

All four winners accepted their award from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the National Arboretum in Canberra.

Australian of the Year Awards — Stream now on ABC iview.