United in Compassion co-founder Lucy Haslam says this week’s ABC 7.30 Report featuring allegations of irresponsible prescribing should be a wake-up call for the medicinal cannabis industry – and the government.
Many individuals in the medicinal cannabis sector likely watched Monday night’s episode of the 7.30 Report on the ABC, which highlighted irresponsible prescribing practices motivated by profit.
Whether unethical prescribers risking patient health or companies pushing their products via telehealth to vulnerable people, these practices have now been exposed to the wider Australian audience. Which is a good thing, although it has done damage to the essence of medicinal cannabis which I personally fought so hard for.
That is a somewhat bitter pill to swallow.
The current state of the medicinal cannabis sector is concerning, with significant issues that need to be addressed. However, it is also essential to acknowledge the positive aspects that are often overlooked.
The ABC’s 7.30 report did not surprise those familiar with the sector. It confirmed longstanding concerns about the alarming number of prescriptions, including Category 5 products, issued recklessly by many bad actors. Several of us have certainly made efforts to communicate these concerns to government authorities and organisations like AHPRA.
What the report did not do was raise questions about the need for government intervention to address these issues and protect Australian patients and the medicinal cannabis sector, which importantly provides relief to many. Balance is essential to any discussions going forward.
As a medicinal cannabis advocate, it pains me to admit that some within the sector are clearly not doing right by patients. Enhancing the reputation of the medicine has been challenging due to historical issues related to recreational use and the war on drugs.
However, those currently engaging in irresponsible behaviour are bringing the sector into disrepute and hindering progress towards the wide acceptance of medicinal cannabis.
The report primarily focused on the negative aspects related to recreational use, neglecting the valuable benefits provided to patients with severe and debilitating conditions. These patients receive their medicine from informed and caring medical professionals seeking standardised and safer alternatives to illicit products and to some more widely accepted pharmaceuticals.
In 2016, the previous government decided to administer medicinal cannabis through the existing TGA Special Access and Authorised Prescriber Schemes instead of establishing an independent regulator, leading to the situation described in the report.
“Those currently engaging in irresponsible behaviour are… hindering progress towards the wide acceptance of the medicine.”
lucy haslam
Telehealth has become a platform targeted by entrepreneurs who prioritise profit over patient care and the state of play is exacerbated by the lack of a public awareness campaign which was previously recommended by a Senate Inquiry in 2019. Together, they equal the perfect storm.
While the TGA has imposed fines for what have been mainly advertising breaches, these are seen as merely an acceptable cost of doing business and patients continue to become misinformed prey.
AHPRA has rightly formed a task force to punish and sometimes deregister individual health professionals, but are powerless when it comes to the owners and operators of telehealth companies. These measures are clearly insufficient.
Unchecked entrepreneurs continue their practices by replacing exiting prescribers with the next doctor or nurse practitioner willing or stupid enough to risk their right to practice.
The telehealth model and enabling legislation raise significant problems. Both sides of the government must take responsibility and work together towards addressing these issues. Another Senate Inquiry is necessary, but it will be futile if recommendations are not implemented.
The medicinal cannabis sector offers substantial benefits to genuine patients and generates significant income for Australia. If the system is harmful and being misused, it needs to be fixed while remembering its initial purpose: compassion and the alleviation of suffering.