Shocking number of Aussie medicinal cannabis scripts exposed sparking call for crackdown
Health bodies are demanding action against rogue medicinal cannabis operators as the number of Australian users exceeds one million, with one doctor writing a script every four minutes.
Health bodies have called for a crackdown on rogue medicinal cannabis dispensaries as the number of users in Australia skyrockets to more than a million.
Concerns have been raised over data suggesting some practices are prescribing products that are too strong to too many people.
The number of unregulated operators has shot up as medicinal cannabis use surged by more than 50 times in the past five years.
The NSW branches of the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP), the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA), and the Australian Medical Association (AMA) have united to call for action.
NSW Pharmacy Guild President Mario Barone said the framework for accessing medication is “not working.”
“The current system for prescribing and dispensing medicinal cannabis is not working as it should for patients, pharmacists, or prescribers,” he said.
Various loopholes have allowed Aussies to easily get their hands on a prescription, including learning what to say in an online consultation.
But clinics which both prescribe and sell cannabis products are also incentivised to sell more.
Operators have been known to send patients emails and SMS messages inquiring if they need another dose.
A study conducted by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) found that eight medical practitioners issued more than 10,000 scripts each for the highest-strength THC products over just a six-month period.
One doctor issued more than 17,000 scripts in that same time frame, equating to a script every four minutes.
This is far beyond what was being prescribed in 2019, in which there were only 18,000 Aussies using medical marijuana.
In January 2024, Ahpra found there were more than one million users.
As well as clinics overprescribing strong products, concerns have been raised about the marketing around them.
Names like Joker Juice or Gelato Sherbert have been criticised as highly inappropriate for medication, and risk sounding appealing to children.
“Aggressive marketing tactics undermine the integrity of the health system and the proliferation of online clinics and vertically integrated models fragment care, bypassing a patient’s regular healthcare providers,” Mr Barone said.
Overprescribed medical marijuana can come with a slew of negative effects.
“Ongoing and regular use of cannabis is associated with a number of negative long-term effects,” the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare website states.
“People who use cannabis regularly can become dependent, and commonly reported symptoms of withdrawal include anxiety, sleep difficulties, appetite disturbance and depression.”
Health organisations maintain that the level of prescriptions has far exceeded the usual amount, and the promotion of these substances shouldn’t be happening.
Regulators argue the system must be tightened as the industry drifts from legitimate healthcare into a commercial free-for-all.
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Originally published as Shocking number of Aussie medicinal cannabis scripts exposed sparking call for crackdown
