This report from Newscom.Au published on 14 July 2025.
Some practitioners have issued more than 10,000 medicinal cannabis prescriptions in just six months, it can be revealed as Australia’s health watchdog announces a major crackdown.
Authorities have become concerned at “poor practice” in the burgeoning industry, saying it has led to underage patients receiving scripts and reports of medicinal cannabis-induced psychosis.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) and National Boards on Wednesday announced the first official guidelines for prescribing the drug.
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“We don’t prescribe opioids to every patient who asks for them, and medicinal cannabis is no different,” Medical Board of Australia Chair Dr Susan O’Dwyer said.
“Patient demand is no indicator of clinical need.”
The regulators said a lax system had led to fears of profits “over patient safety”, citing reports of “serious adverse outcomes such as psychotic episodes” for patients whose medical history was not properly considered.
One practitioner is believed to have written 17,000 scripts in half a year, while seven others issued more than 10,000 each.
Some consultations are lasting “a few seconds”, according to Aphra, and cannabis was being prescribed simply because patients were requesting it.
The new guidelines include thorough assessment of patients, taking their medical history into account, creating management plans and continuity of care, maintaining medical records and offering different treatment options.
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