In what has been described as Australia’s largest medical cannabis deal, Montu Group has inked a partnership with West Australian health clinic network Jupiter Health to educate its GPs on how to prescribe the treatment.

Montu managing director Christopher Strauch said the partnership meant more Australians could now access medical cannabis to treat conditions such as chronic pain, anxiety and insomnia through their regular GP.

He said: “Despite significant patient growth in Australia, medical cannabis is still seen as a niche treatment option and this partnership is a significant step to integrate cannabis into medical practice more broadly.

“We’ve had patients who have suffered from chronic pain for more than 20 years who were able to cease their opioids and live a normal life again. And others who successfully manage their symptoms after years of depression and poor sleep.”

More than 50,000 patients in Australia have been approved for medical cannabis treatment since it was legalised in October 2016. However, while research suggests more than a third of patients in Australia (36 per cent) ask their GP about medical cannabis, fewer than five per cent of doctors prescribe it as medication.

Jupiter Health operates Western Australia’s largest clinic network with more than 300 doctors across 30 clinics. CEO Michael Gendy said the deal with Montu meant they were able to access the fast-growing medical cannabis market in Australia, which has increased by 20 per cent each month since January 2019.

Montu also works with other clinics across the country, including major health networks like SmartClinics, IPN, Healius, MyHealth, Ochre Health and MyClinic.

Prior to launching Cannabiz, Martin was co-founder and CEO of Asia-Pac’s leading B2B media and marketing information brand Mumbrella, overseeing its sale to Diversified Communications in 2017. A journalist...

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