Special Access Scheme approvals reached their second-highest monthly total on record in October, with an unexpected surge in applications from Queensland driving the result.
Data released by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) showed 21,590 successful prescriber applications during the month, trailing only April's all-time peak of 24,160.
The October figure pushed the 10-month cumulative total past 190,000, surpassing the 178,000 approvals recorded across all of 2024.
Flower was the most approved product format at 38%, with oil coming in second at 25.6% and pastilles — continuing to close the gap — at 24.5%.
The picture shifted within the 18-44 age group, where pastilles extended their lead over oil.
Flower held the top position at 41%, followed by the rapidly expanding edible format, which was prescribed to one in four patients in that demographic, while oil's share dropped to 20%.
Category 5 products — which the Australian Medical Association (AMA) wants banned while the TGA carries out its regulatory reform review — made up just over half of all approvals. Category 3 followed at 18.5%, then category 1 at 13.5%, category 2 at 9%, and category 4 at 7.5%.
October also brought a notable shift at the state level, with Queensland unexpectedly reclaiming its position as the leading state for approvals.
After sitting behind Victoria for several months, Queensland's share jumped from 36% in September to 46% in October, with 9,920 approvals — an increase of nearly 3,000 compared to the prior month.
Victoria, by contrast, recorded 6,880 successful applications, or 32% of the total, down from 7,680 approvals, which had accounted for 40% in September.
The conditions driving medicinal cannabis prescriptions followed established patterns.
Chronic pain accounted for 46% of applications, up two percentage points from the previous month, while anxiety fell by the same margin to 28%.
Sleep disorders, including insomnia, held steady at around 15% of approvals.
