4 ms·

It's the first step. When cannabis was legalised for medicinal purposes the doctors prescribing it had to import it from overseas suppliers. Yes I imagine the

It's the first step. When cannabis was legalised for medicinal purposes the doctors prescribing it had to import it from overseas suppliers. Yes I imagine the next step is a local supplier company goes through the valid approval process and gets their product approved. >Medical marijuana in Australia has suffered from similar issues, with an onerous approval process in many states making it very difficult to get a prescription. I live in NSW so maybe I am a bit naive but it is possible to see a doctor over the internet that works for a dispensary in another state and have them issue you a prescription if you fit the criteria for medicinal cannabis. I was cynical about the idea of these dispensaries having their own in house doctors but upon further thinking it makes sense since some doctors still don't acknowledge the medicinal benefit of cannabis.

robbiep 3y ago
Accessing medical cannabis is weird - each state has different access requirements and you must apply in the state(s) you practice in for permission (which isn’t hard) and then to the TGA for approval to prescribe. The industry/clinic space is really bizzare. I have been bombarded with requests to work as a telehealth prescriber. Because of the restricted product supply, ‘clinics’ are popping up to offer telehealth consults and then push their products. There are multiple issues with this: - the doctors doing the prescribing are often junior doctors, not GPs or pain specialists - they have a limited supply of stock and no real understanding of ‘what is right when’ - pretty much all the stoners I know have now switched to medical marijuana (which is fine but for the next point) - the TGA will at some point come down on doctors who are doing shitty consults and just writing the prescription with a cursory ‘whatever’ - because the TGA and medical board in this country are not as toothless as in the US So basically anyone can get a prescription, and the clinics are pushing their own (or their own imported) product so they get fat margins, and there’s some médico-légal risk. Over time (and even now) there are increasing numbers of GPs who can prescribe and there are websites that can point you to them which is what I’d recommend if you or a loved one actually has a medical condition, as opposed to just wanting to get stoned.

robbiep 3y ago

Accessing medical cannabis is weird - each state has different access requirements and you must apply in the state(s) you practice in for permission (which isn’t hard) and then to the TGA for approval to prescribe. The industry/clinic space is really bizzare. I have been bombarded with requests to work as a telehealth prescriber. Because of the restricted product supply, ‘clinics’ are popping up to offer telehealth consults and then push their products. There are multiple issues with this: - the doctors doing the prescribing are often junior doctors, not GPs or pain specialists - they have a limited supply of stock and no real understanding of ‘what is right when’ - pretty much all the stoners I know have now switched to medical marijuana (which is fine but for the next point) - the TGA will at some point come down on doctors who are doing shitty consults and just writing the prescription with a cursory ‘whatever’ - because the TGA and medical board in this country are not as toothless as in the US So basically anyone can get a prescription, and the clinics are pushing their own (or their own imported) product so they get fat margins, and there’s some médico-légal risk. Over time (and even now) there are increasing numbers of GPs who can prescribe and there are websites that can point you to them which is what I’d recommend if you or a loved one actually has a medical condition, as opposed to just wanting to get stoned.