Doctors, Pharmacists Urge Crackdown on Unchecked Cannabis Prescriptions

A joint letter to the health minister calls for tougher oversight amid reports of coercion and patient harm.
Doctors, Pharmacists Urge Crackdown on Unchecked Cannabis Prescriptions
A researcher examines a cannabis plant at an undisclosed location in Victoria, Australia, on June 9, 2017. Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images
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Australia’s top medical and pharmacy bodies have warned of a “largely unregulated explosion” in medicinal cannabis prescribing, urging Health Minister Mark Butler to restore control and protect patients from unsafe practices.

In a joint letter, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia said medicinal cannabis use had strayed far from its original intent and turned into a “parallel market” with weak oversight and minimal accountability.

Naziya Alvi Rahman
Naziya Alvi Rahman
Author
Naziya Alvi Rahman is a Canberra-based journalist who covers political issues in Australia. She can be reached at [email protected].