Medical cannabis use in Australia at an all-time high

More than 240,000 medical cannabis prescriptions have been issued in Australia in the past six years, but almost half of them were written last year, new figures show. Now, medical industry bodies are pushing for action to be taken.

Medical cannabis use is at an all time high in Australia as industry bodies push for better education for nurses to bridge the gap between doctors and patients.

Since 2016, more than 240,000 medical cannabis prescriptions have been issued in Australia, with almost half written last year alone, according to new figures from the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

But experts say that with better education on the benefits and side effects of the drug, nurses could become the driving force behind the new frontier of creating safe and accessible medicinal cannabis.

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation has campaigned to introduce medical cannabis education into the curriculum for all nursing and midwifery schools in Australia.

ANMF president Sally-Anne Jones said that it took “relentless” advocacy to change the legislation for the use of medical cannabis and now further education for health practitioners was the next step.

“The ANMF and its Branches will work to develop and promote education for nurses and midwives on the role of medicinal cannabis, its uses and side effects, and the scope of practice for nurses and midwives working with it,” she said in a statement.

Since 2016, more than 240,000 medical cannabis prescriptions have been issued in Australia, with almost half written last year alone. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

At CQUniversity, medicinal cannabis isn’t in the curriculum, however Dean of the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Sciences, Professor Moira Williamson told The Courier Mail the university would be “open to include any appropriate education”.

“As our students may see this therapy in practice, it is appropriate to include it in our education,” she said.

“However, all aspects of our curriculum need to be approved through the appropriate governing bodies.”

Another major step in the federation’s campaign is to “dispel the stigma attached to the use of medicinal cannabis”, which medical cannabis producer Australian Natural Therapeutics Group chief scientist Justin Sinclair said is one of the long term goals in the industry.

“Education is the only way to reduce the stigma that’s been around for 80 years. Nurses are such a huge part of that,” he said.

Former Queensland nurse and medicinal cannabis advocate Lucy Haslam said she’s seen the benefits of medicinal cannabis first hand from her son who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2010.

“We were pretty against it initially, but we were desperate for something, and it was just incredible how it changed his life,” she said.

Following his death, Ms Haslam spearheaded the movement to introduce medicinal cannabis into Australia in 2013 and is now turning her attention to educating nurses.

“Nurses are not financially incentivised to provide a particular form of treatment. They just want what is best for their patients, it’s as simple as that,” she said.

“But nurses have been taught very little. All I was taught in uni was that it was a dangerous gateway drug.

“The best way to inform patients is having well educated healthcare practitioners. We’re starting to see that shift, but there’s still a lot of stigma around it.”