Cannabiz co-founder Martin Lane looks back on a year in which the industry has shown resilience in the face of unprecedented headwinds, but growth has been hard to come by.
I’ve been looking after my son and daughter-in-law’s Beaglier recently. A popular dog breed developed in Australia in the 1990s, created by crossing a Beagle with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, the Beaglier has an average lifespan of 12 to 15 years.
Which makes Remi – who turned six last month – middle aged.
He’s no longer that enthusiastic little puppy with an endless curiosity and zest for life, who never seemed to sit still, was always looking for the next adventure and seemed genuinely surprised if another dog didn’t want to play with him.
These days, he’s happier lying on the sofa with humans than trying to make friends with his own species. He’s lower maintenance than he used to be, but more wary of what can happen when you bump up against authority figures (in his case, next door’s Doberman).
Which brings me in a roundabout way to Cannabiz. According to Google’s AI overview, a six-year-old dog is typically about 40 to 45 years old in human years, which perhaps explains why we’re also suffering from a midlife crisis. (Or not, I know I’m stretching a metaphor here).
While there has been positive news in the past 12 months, it definitely feels like the industry we report on is in something of a holding pattern.
In December last year, the Penington Institute reported growth slowed sharply in the first half of 2025 as regulators stepped up scrutiny and prescriber patterns shifted.
Things got even worse in H2, according to Penington, and it’s unlikely that the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s ongoing review into medicinal cannabis has had anything other than a negative impact on trading in the months since.
The ‘father of modern management’, Peter Drucker, might have said “the best way to predict the future is to create it”, but he never worked in the cannabis industry.
We’ve seen some of the industry behemoths reporting numbers confirming the slowdown, while prescriber confidence has been hit by relentless attacks from health bodies.
Anecdotally, our numbers tell a story of stalled growth rather than decline. Having been on a consistent upward trajectory since we launched our paid membership offering in 2021, this year we have seen subscription growth slow down for the first time.
There are a few possible explanations for that of course – industry consolidation, staff churn, the need to cut discretionary spend, even (whisper it) a dearth of positive stories in recent times.
But it does seem to fit with a general sense of an industry at a crossroads.
My usual practice when I sit down to write the Cannabiz birthday column is to look back at my previous efforts before landing on a theme for the latest one.
Despite the obvious headwinds, I’ve usually been able to detect some forward momentum for the sector and inject a bit of positivity – even though my headlines might sometimes suggest otherwise…
Cannabiz is one: keeping the lights on
Cannabiz is two: predicting a bright future
Cannabiz is three: tantrums and tiaras
Cannabiz is four: what’s the point?
Cannabiz is five – where do we go from here?
This year, the headline came before the rest.
Chatting to those in the industry whose remit includes business development, it’s clear the TGA review has made forward planning difficult if not impossible.
With options ranging from rescheduling and registration to a bit of tinkering at the edges, there’s currently no clarity on what patient access will look like in 2027 and beyond.
If your business model is based on high-THC medicine, for example, you would be well advised to do some contingency planning sooner rather than later. But planning for what? At the moment, while there’s plenty of back channeling going on with the regulator, no-one really knows.
The ‘father of modern management’, Peter Drucker, might have said “the best way to predict the future is to create it”, but he never worked in the cannabis industry.
One thing that is in the industry’s control, though, is the ability to work together to challenge the negativity in certain quarters and to continue to shine a light on positive patient stories.
It was a particular highlight of our year to work with Medicinal Cannabis Industry Australia (MCIA) and the Australian Medicinal Cannabis Association (AMCA) to produce Cannabiz in Conversation, a content series which aired on streaming platform Ticker and YouTube.
It featured those at the pointy end of patient care arguing passionately for the medicine’s role in the Australian healthcare system and the critical therapeutic benefit it provides to hundreds of thousands of people.
The merger of MCIA and AMCA to form Medicinal Cannabis Council Australia was another great example of the industry working together for the common good.
And the quality of many of the submissions to the TGA should, at the very least, puncture the myth that the sector is full of people who care nothing for patients and just want to make a quick buck.
Both MCIA/AMCA – in their joint submission – and Cannabis Council Australia accepted the need for reform and set out a number of sensible measures to drive up product quality and build the evidence base while retaining access for patients in need.
We’ve also seen initiatives from Medical Cannabis Australia and Medical Cannabis Research Australia which have brought the industry together in new ways to build connections, share knowledge and increase confidence in prescribing.
Which brings me back to Remi, lying at my feet, reluctant to venture far from the source of his next meal. He might be safe in his little bubble, but he’s lost that sense of connection with like-minded animals we all need.
If the last 12 months have taught us anything, it’s the importance of working together for the common good. Otherwise, we might find the alternative to standing still is going backwards.
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