A new independent online training and information platform for medicinal cannabis is being launched with the aim of attracting new prescribers and appealing to healthcare professionals who have grown cautious of education driven by commercial interests.
United in Compassion (UIC), the Australian Medicinal Cannabis Association (AMCA) and the Society of Cannabis Clinicians Australian Chapter (SCCAC) have joined forces to launch TEACH-hub – Training and Education About Cannabis in Healthcare.
The platform will provide a comprehensive, interactive online program tailored to a range of healthcare professionals, with dedicated modules for doctors, nurses and pharmacists.
An earlier, in-person version of the course was first presented at the UIC symposium last May. Now that the program is moving online – supported by funding from the Dan Haslam Memorial Grant – organisers hope it will reach a far greater number of practitioners, including nurses and pharmacists.
Face-to-face versions of the courses will also be offered to prescribers and pharmacists at the 2023 symposium in August.
Beyond the courses themselves, the hub will house additional resources including video content from all past UIC Symposiums.
UIC says the platform's independence from industry – it will carry no commercial influence – is central to its appeal, both to new prescribers and to those healthcare professionals who may be reluctant to engage with education produced by companies with a financial stake in the sector.
The prescriber module, donated by Dr David Caldicott, covers a broad range of topics from the historical use of cannabis to clinical indications, delivery methods, product selection and how to navigate the Special Access Scheme portal.
Australia’s first Authorised Prescriber, Dr Vicki Kostirilos, has also contributed content to the course.
The pharmacist module will address the therapeutic applications of medicinal cannabis, supply management and the regulatory requirements involved in dispensing. That course is currently under development by the Lambert Initiative in collaboration with the University of Sydney School of Pharmacy.
Both courses will be accredited by the Australasian College of Pharmacy and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.
A dedicated module for nurses is also planned and will be added to the hub at a later stage.
In announcing the program, UIC called on further support from industry participants who “support the long-term benefit of such a project”.
ANTG, Cannatrek, MedTec Group, Medlab and Canopy are among the companies that have already contributed, following the late Olivia Newton John, who was the first to back the initiative.
UIC confirmed that all grants received will go directly toward funding the project, which is focused on “putting the spotlight on the endocannabinoid system and the positive benefits of medicinal cannabis”.
“This is a limited opportunity that provides many benefits to reward financial contributors from the broader medicinal cannabis industry while maintaining strict independence and integrity,” it said.
“This is considered a long-term project and should become a valuable Australian educational resource similar to that of the SCCAC’s parent organisation in the US.”
