AUSTRALIA'S first medical cannabis dispensary is operating from the back of a van in a car park at Nimbin.

For more than a month Tony Bower, of Kempsey, has been dispensing 25-millilitre vials of his therapeutic cannabis tincture free to anyone who can produce a medical certificate confirming their condition.

Crusade ... Tony Bower supplies his medical cannabis tincture (left) from the back of his van to chronically sick customers seeking relief from their pain. Credit:Melissa McDonald

His chronically sick patrons, who include those with AIDS, cancer and multiple sclerosis, number in their hundreds. Mr Bower is an Aborigine and said it was against his culture to refuse to help them.

The problem is that it may be illegal, but it is hard to tell.