A cannabis company founded and run by former defence force members is calling on more GPs to join their effort to improve healthcare outcomes for fellow veterans.
The Provocatus launched in 2021 with a focus on reducing veterans' dependence on opioids and, where clinically appropriate, improving their access to subsidised medicinal cannabis.
The company was co-founded by army veterans James Gatley and the husband-and-wife duo Kasey and Michael Mumford, who run the Southern Cross Cannabis Clinic in Wollongong.
After a successful trial last year of the Veterans' Access Scheme (VAS) — which delivered medicinal cannabis to up to 80 former service personnel — the three founders are now encouraging doctors who care for veterans to explore cannabis as an option alongside conventional treatments.
"We were treating many people with chronic pain on huge amounts of opiates," Dr Mumford said.
"I was seeing more veterans coming through, and I saw people I used to work with — happy, young, fit people — who looked like zombies. That is when we started looking for the alternative."
Beyond offering a healthcare alternative, VAS was also set up to speed up applications for subsidised treatment through the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA).
The Provocatus noted last year that DVA decisions were taking between four and 12 weeks, a wait that created a "health equity issue".
"There are thousands of DVA patients across Australia eligible for DVA support," Dr Mumford said. "Veterans face delays in treatment access given the processing times through the DVA. Because these barriers don't exist for other patients, access to medicinal cannabis represents a health equity issue in Australia."
He said a greater number of GPs are also needed to meet demand from veterans seeking medicinal cannabis treatment.
"The Provocatus can provide GPs with a pathway to prescribe cannabis for patients without fragmenting their healthcare," Dr Mumford said. "We would love to chat with GPs who are caring for veterans or are considering medicinal cannabis as a treatment option for their patients."
Further details about The Provocatus are available at theprovocatus.com.