A fresh round of roadshows aimed at reinforcing the prescribing and regulatory responsibilities of health practitioners is being organised for later this year, as the industry continues to respond to medicinal cannabis prescribing guidance recently released by regulators.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) released its guidance last week following concerns that unsafe prescribing practices were causing "significant patient harm".
The guidance received a broad welcome from across the industry.
To build on that response, the Australian Medicinal Cannabis Association, working alongside supplier Medical Cannabis Australia (MCA), is organising a second round of roadshows, expected to kick off in October.
An initial series of events held last year was met with considerable praise.
"Every year there are new practitioners coming into the space so there is a necessity to provide fresh education and training and to keep reinforcing practitioner obligations," AMCA chair Teresa Nicoletti said.
Responses to the guidance continued to emerge this week, with the Australian and New Zealand College of Cannabinoid Practitioners (ANZCCP) expressing its support for AHPRA's involvement.
In a published statement, ANZCCP said it does "not support high-volume, low-quality models or sub-minute consultations".
"That falls short of accepted standards and compromises patient safety," it said.
"Evidence-based practice, for ANZCCP, means integrating the best available research, including randomised controlled trials (RCT), observational studies, and national data sources such as the Special Access Scheme… and real-time prescription monitoring systems, with clinical expertise and patient feedback and experience.
"Where RCT data is limited, responsible use of real-world evidence and clinical judgement remains essential."
The organisation added that THC-containing products require "close monitoring" while CBD-only products carry a lower risk profile and "may warrant a more proportionate approach".
"ANZCCP is developing a continuing medical education module to support risk-aligned prescribing and monitoring," the statement said.
"Telehealth care must meet the same standards as in-person care. Cursory assessments and prescribing models tied to specific products or pharmacies are unacceptable. ANZCCP's revised conflict of interest code prohibits financial arrangements that compromise clinical independence.
"ANZCCP remains committed to promoting safe, ethical, and evidence-informed cannabinoid prescribing."
The guidance and the accompanying language around patient harm did not, however, find universal acceptance.
Nurse practitioner Debbie Ranson cautioned that the sector risked being "demonised" because of the actions of a small number of bad actors.
"Yes safety, accountability, and professional integrity matter. And yes, there are always outliers in every sector who take shortcuts or exploit the system," she said. "But let's be clear, you don't fix bad practice by demonising an entire field of medicine.
"Medicinal cannabis has offered thousands of Australians relief when all else failed. For many, it is not a 'gateway drug' it's a gateway to stability.
"It's the tool that finally helped people get off opioids, benzodiazepines, sleeping pills, and antipsychotics. It's improved functioning, reduced pain, restored appetite, and even helped people return to work or parenting after years of being sedated or labelled as 'treatment resistant'.
"This sudden moral panic stating patients need an 'exit plan' from cannabis reeks of paternalism."
Ranson cautioned that talk of an "exit plan" could push patients back toward a "revolving door of pills that caused the problem in the first place".
"Cannabinoids were the exit plan for those medications," she said. "For many, cannabis is the exit plan from dependency, from stigma, from a broken system that ignored their voices for too long.
"If the concern is over prescribers offering inadequate consultations, then address the practice models, not the medicine. Regulate for quality, not quantity. Support ethical practitioners, including nurse practitioners who spend time with patients, assess risk, and offer trauma-informed, patient-centred care.
"Don't throw the whole practice of cannabinoid medicine under the bus because a handful of providers chased profits."
