Despite facing its own hurdles, Australia's medical cannabis sector has distinguished itself through a commitment to affordability and patient-centred care — qualities that SOMAÍ Pharmaceuticals chairman and CEO Michael Sassano believes make it a global benchmark.
Australia now counts itself among only three meaningful medical cannabis markets worldwide.
While international attention has turned to the US potentially rescheduling cannabis following Germany's decision to strip cannabis medicines of their narcotics classification, Australia's market has continued growing at a pace that outstrips most others, driven by a consistent focus on patient outcomes.
How Australia Sets the Standard on Product Variety and Affordability
A medical cannabis market built on genuine patient-doctor relationships and freedom of choice for both parties tends to thrive. Markets that prioritise restricting access tend to create problems instead.
Israel, for instance, allows only flower sales and places significant limits on other product forms, including extracts. Germany's approach centres on magistral extract preparation, with little accommodation for different delivery formats such as gel capsules or faster-acting excipients.
Consider elderly patients in the US, a growing demographic that may turn to low-dose cannabis for arthritis relief. Many prefer a mild 1:50 gel capsule or an edible. Under flower-only restrictions, their only options would be rolling a joint or using a pipe. Large patient groups are effectively shut out of access simply because smoking is not an option for them.
Australia is well ahead of larger markets when it comes to product variety, with patients able to choose from close to 1,000 medical cannabis options. The ability for doctors and patients to select what works best is exactly what the cannabis-as-medicine movement has always championed — not a uniform treatment approach.
Australia has also moved toward lower consumer prices, making ongoing treatment more affordable and within reach for more patients. Markets that serve patients well consistently offer broad product choice alongside pricing that makes daily medicine financially manageable.
Entrepreneurship and the Patient Experience
The fastest-growing cannabis markets have consistently featured clear, efficient regulatory pathways for patient access. They also tend to attract entrepreneurs who are genuinely invested in both the industry and the patient experience. Australia has produced some of the most inventive business models seen anywhere in the world.
Australian clinics now offer both virtual and in-person consultations, and patients can collect prescriptions from their local pharmacy immediately after the appointment ends. Speed of service has historically been a weak point for medical cannabis globally — in most countries, booking an appointment alone can take days, and pharmacy fulfilment adds further delays.
While other markets are working toward comparable models, the level of patient service in Australia is currently ahead. Most cannabis patients want the same speed they expect from any other prescription, grocery delivery, or online order — the kind of same-day fulfilment that even the unregulated market has managed to organise.
A Shifting Regulatory Picture Around the World
Australia also benefits from a well-structured framework for accessing cannabis medicines. Entrepreneurs will always push for improvements, but Australian regulators appear to genuinely support patient access to cannabis as a positive outcome.
Countries worldwide are increasingly recognising the benefits of cannabis as medicine. In a recent development, the US Food and Drug Administration and Department of Health and Human Services published a letter and extensive report covering a review of 30,000 cannabis-prescribing physicians and six million patients over two decades of legalisation.
Their findings concluded that cannabis is safe, effective for at least 15 medical indications, and carries lower risks than many conventional pharmaceutical treatments.
“Massive market segments are being excluded from access because they simply don’t want to smoke.”
Policymakers around the world need to accept cannabis as both safe and effective, and Australia appears to be ahead in both studying its therapeutic benefits and building a dependable framework for patient access.
A regulatory environment that delivers safe, high-quality products — reducing the need for patients to resort to riskier pharmaceuticals or unregulated alternatives — deserves recognition.
Beyond access, the most patient-friendly markets share clearly defined rules around cannabis production and distribution. Australian regulations align with pharmaceutical-grade standards and accepted best practices, while also accounting for cannabis's distinctive properties as a medicine and the importance of patient choice.
Australia's Influence on the Global Cannabis Sector Is Set to Expand
Israel and Germany once set the terms for the global cannabis industry. Today, Australia has developed a strong medical cannabis market, with an industry that is distinctively focused on meeting patient needs and delivering the best possible experience.
With Germany having removed the narcotics classification from cannabis, global markets are poised for significant expansion, and Australia is well-positioned as a reference point for countries working to build their own regulatory frameworks and infrastructure to support patient needs — both now and in the years ahead.
