Special Access Scheme approvals of medicinal cannabis in the first half of 2023 were virtually identical to last year, data has shown, as Victoria knocked Queensland off its perch as Australia’s cannabis capital in June, the second time it has done so this year.
Nationally, the TGA rubber-stamped 9,700 prescriptions in June, down from 11,000 the previous month but up marginally on the same month last year.
It brought the total in the first half of 2023 to 60,378, just 89 more than H1 2022.
However, the figures do not reflect the true number of cannabis prescriptions given the surge in Authorised Prescribers.
Victoria led the way in June with prescribers in the state receiving 4,420 SAS-B approvals from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), eclipsing the previous high of 4,360 in March.
It saw Queensland, generally regarded as Australia’s leading cannabis state, relegated to second spot with 3,460 approvals from 250 prescribers, a sharp 27% fall from May.
Victoria’s scripts were generated by 229 prescribers.
It is the second time this year that Victoria has exceeded the number of approvals from Queensland. March was the first time in four years that the sunshine state had been knocked into second spot.
As in March, it was not immediately clear what, if anything, triggered the surge in Victorian approvals in June, or the sudden decline in Queensland.
New South Wales was a distant third with 1,250 approvals.
Schedule 8 medicines accounted for 77% of approvals last month, broadly in line with previous trends.
Oil was prescribed the most, accounting for 52% of approvals, with flower responsible for 35%.
Capsules continue to lag way behind, with the TGA approving just 205 prescriptions, 2% of the total.
In line with previous months, chronic pain (42%), anxiety (33%) and sleep disorders (9%) were the main conditions for which medicinal cannabis was prescribed.
