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SBS News Report: It’s been seven years since medicinal cannabis was legalised. Is access now ‘too easy’?

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It’s been seven years since medicinal cannabis was legalised in Australia, yet debate over its usage, efficacy, availability, and cost continues.

More than 300,000 prescriptions for medicinal cannabis have been approved for conditions ranging from chronic pain to anxiety and depression since federal legislation passed in February 2016.

Demand for medicinal cannabis surged during the pandemic, with 296,804 prescriptions approved under the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s (TGA) SAS B scheme from 2020-2022 compared to less than 27,946 in the three years prior from 2017-2019.

Yet doctors are still calling for more scientific evidence showing therapeutic benefits and harms, and questions over how medicinal cannabis should be regulated and prescribed remain. Advocates for medicinal cannabis also hold concerns, not only about ongoing stigma, high cost, and barriers to access, but about patients being inappropriately prescribed the drug.

“There’s still so many things that are not working well in the medicinal cannabis world for patients,” Australian Medicinal Cannabis Association (AMCA) chair and co-founder Lucy Haslam told SBS News.

Quality care or a ‘shopping experience’?

As the market for medicinal cannabis booms, doctors and advocates are united in concern over commercial interests compromising patient care.

While the TGA allows authorised health care professionals to access medicinal cannabis products for their patients “where clinically appropriate”, all but two treatments available in Australia are “considered to be unapproved medicines” and have therefore not been assessed by the TGA for safety, quality or effectiveness. These “unregistered” treatments are accessed through the TGA’s  Special Access Scheme (SAS) and Authorised Prescriber (AP)  scheme.

Ms Haslam was instrumental in the push for medicinal cannabis legalisation, and while she’s still fighting to remove stigma and barriers to access she’s also worried about commercial interests overriding what’s best for patients.

The rise of telehealth during the pandemic has allowed more patients to access medicinal cannabis through online clinics, and Ms Haslam is concerned about “some of the less ethical prescribing that’s going on”.

“[Some patients are] basically sold products and it’s based on making high numbers of sales versus making the correct clinical assessment and correct prescribing of the product that’s going to suit the patient,” she said.

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Asia Pacific & Australia

Cannabiz Weekly Report (Australia) Headlines Suggests A Rather Sickly Sector – Maybe They Need Some Medical Cannabis!

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Troubled Melodiol Global Health has racked up A$17 million worth of debt, an initial administrator’s report has revealed, as efforts continue to sell its distribution arm, Health House.

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Paper – Australia: NSW cannabis medicines advisory service retrospective enquiry analysis to inform clinical guidance resource development.

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An innovative New South Wales government funded statewide Cannabis Medicines Advisory Service (CMAS) operated between January 2018 and June 2022. The service provided comprehensive patient-specific and evidence-based information to support health professionals in prescribing and patient care decisions. This study aimed to describe real-world data collected by CMAS.

A sub-set of de-identified, patient-specific enquiries collected between January 2021 and June 2022 (n = 123/567; 21.7%) were analyzed using R version 4.2.1. Diagnosis, indication, and comorbidities were coded using Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) terminology.

Most patient-specific enquiries from medical practitioners were from general practitioners (n = 103/123; 83.7%). Female (n = 53/123; 43.1%) and male (n = 59/123; 48.0%) patients were similarly represented. Sex was not specified for 8.9% (n = 11/123) of patients. The mean age of patients was 52.1 years (range <10-90). The most common three diagnoses were osteoarthritis, anxiety, and chronic pain. Indications that were most frequently reported included chronic pain, anxiety, back pain, non-neuropathic pain, and insomnia. Comedications were most commonly non-opioid and opioid analgesics and antidepressants. Most practitioners were considering prescribing a cannabidiol (CBD) product for their patient. Cannabinoid composition selection guidance provided by CMAS was predominantly (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) THC:CBD ~1:1, followed by CBD-only products. CMAS was contacted by health professionals regarding the management of potential adverse events for five patients.

The findings of this study shed light on the information medical practitioners were seeking to inform their clinical decision-making about medical cannabis and can inform the development of clinical guidance resources.

© 2024 The Author(s). Neuropsychopharmacology Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Japanese Society of Neuropsychopharmacology.



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Australia’s Zenith Cannabis Clinic Throws Up More Question Marks.. It Appears They Are Providing Consults But Have No TGA Approval To Prescribe

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Hi I noticed you had a post about Zenith clinics I recently had a run in with them as I was seeking medication.

They are a scam they take your money which was $29 for the initial consult which they say they will return it’s just a pending holding fee for the consult.

A “so called doctor gives you a call on zoom they prescribe you”.

After two weeks nothing happened I called several times and got the same person with a south African accent they keep on telling me they are waiting for TGA approval this goes on and on they say it sometimes takes a long time.

I was fed up so I called ******* scripts got a free appointment the next day she prescribed me and the TGA approval only took 48hrs and I have the product now already.

I am yet to hear back from Zenith clinic. It’s not the money as it was only $29 but it’s the deception they must be doing this to a lot of people who really need medicine. I wanted to send this as people need to be warned so they are to right decision.



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