Australian Nurses Cannabis Support & Information Network

21/07/2025

Nurses can’t stay silent on medicinal cannabis: A call for safer, smarter practice

July 21, 2025
By: Deb Ranson

As a nurse who has worked at the frontline of both traditional and cannabinoid-based care, I’ve witnessed the real-world consequences of our system’s slow and inconsistent uptake of medicinal cannabis policy.

Despite medicinal cannabis being legal and regulated in Australia since 2016, nurses are still left in the dark. We are expected to care for patients who use these medicines, many with prescriptions, TGA approval, and long-standing treatment plans, yet we receive little to no formal education on safe administration, pharmacology, or legal considerations. In some hospitals, prescribed cannabis is treated like contraband. I’ve seen nurses confiscate patient medicine, refuse to chart or report it, and even call security, not out of malice, but out of fear and confusion.

The new Ahpra guidelines for prescribers are a step in the right direction, there is no room for bad practice. However they don’t go far enough to support the wider multidisciplinary team. Nurses are the bridge between prescriber and patient. We monitor for efficacy, advocate for comfort, and uphold patient dignity. We must be empowered to act safely and ethically when it comes to cannabis, not be sidelined by stigma.

We also need to talk about safety. Patients are often forced to hide their use, skip doses, or revert to opioids in hospital settings simply because staff don’t know what to do. This isn’t just a policy issue; it’s a patient harm issue.

The release of the 2025 ICN new definition of nursing emphasises that nursing is a profession dedicated to upholding everyone’s right to health through collaborative, culturally safe, people-centred care. It underscores the role of nurses in advocacy, policy development, and leadership, moving beyond task-based care to address broader health determinants. As nurses we need to heed that call.

I work with patients who have been stable on cannabinoids for years. They’re cancer survivors, chronic pain warriors, veterans with PTSD. They deserve evidence-based, compassionate care and so do the nurses who support them. Until cannabinoid education becomes part of core nursing curricula and hospital policy catches up with legislation, we will continue to place patients and nurses in ethically compromising positions.

It’s time we start treating medicinal cannabis with the same clinical respect as any other prescribed therapy. Nurses have a vital role in this shift. We are educators, advocates, and leaders and we must not be afraid to speak up.

We need to contribute and give feedback so policy changes are undertaken collaboratively and not in a knee-jerk reaction to a small set of practitioners doing the wrong thing.

Deb Ranson is a Clinical Nurse Consultant, co-founder of the Australian Cannabis Nurses Association and a medicinal cannabis educator and advocate

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https://lnkd.in/gh7JnyP9

https://anmj.org.au/nurses-cant-stay-silent-on-medicinal-cannabis-a-call-for-safer-smarter-practice/

As a nurse who has worked at the frontline of both traditional and cannabinoid-based care, I’ve witnessed the real-world consequences of our system’s slow and inconsistent uptake of medicinal cannabis policy. Despite medicinal cannabis being legal and regulated in Australia since 2016, nurses ar...

04/07/2025

🌿 Retreat Energy is Building… 🌿

We’re in the beautiful phase of finalising the Bodhi retreats and the energy is rising. As each session, ceremony, and moment of stillness falls into place, we’re reminded why we do this work: to create space for nurses and seekers to reconnect, reflect, and rise.

Each retreat is crafted with deep intention. This isn’t just a weekend away, it’s a journey home to self, guided by sacred rest, plant allies, and conscious care.

To everyone walking alongside us, thank you. We’re so grateful to build this movement with you.

✨ Have a gentle, nourishing weekend. Big love from the Bodhi team.

Bodhi Nurse | Alternative Education & Retreats for Nurses

04/07/2025

A decade ago, in 2015, a study by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration examined the crash risk associated with alcohol and drug use by drivers. The study used a case-controlled methodology.

Alcohol Findings
The study found that alcohol use by drivers was clearly associated with elevated risk of crash involvement:
• Drivers who had been drinking at the .08 breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) had about 4 times the risk of
crashing as sober drivers. NB: .08 BrAC and blood alcohol concentration [BAC] are the per se legal limit in
every US State.
• Drivers with alcohol levels at .15 BrAC had 12 times the risk.

Drug Findings

Drivers participating in the study were tested for a large number of potentially impairing drugs using both oral fluid (saliva) and blood samples. THC was the only single category for which study findings reached statistical significance. Drivers testing positive for THC were over-represented in the crash-involved (case) population. However, when demographic factors (age and gender) and alcohol use were controlled, the study did not find an increase in population-based crash risk associated with THC use.

The study was conducted in Virginia Beach, Virginia, over a 20-month period ending in 2012. More than 3,000 crash involved drivers were included as case subjects. Two control subjects were selected for each case subject by random selection from traffic at the same location, day of week, time of day and direction of traffic as the crash-involved case subjects. This careful matching of cases and controls was critical for the validity of the findings. About 66% of the case subjects were involved in property-damage-only crashes and 33% were involved in injury crashes. Less than 1% of case subjects were involved in fatal crashes. The study could not control for factors that could affect impairment by THC such as the amount ingested, the potency ingested, prior experience with THC and individual differences in response to THC.

In February, 2024, at the Centre for Mental Health and Brain Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria, Australia, a semi-naturalistic, open-label study examining the effect of prescribed medical cannabis use on simulated driving performance was undertaken.

Driving performance outcomes including standard deviation of lateral position (SDLP), the standard deviation of speed (SDS), mean speed and steering variability were evaluated using the Forum8 driving simulator at baseline (pre-dosing), 2.5 h and 5 -h (post-dosing). Perceived driving effort (PDE) was self-reported after each drive. This semi-naturalistic study suggests that the consumption of medical cannabis containing THC (1.13-39.18 mg/dose) has a negligible impact on driving performance when used as prescribed.

Data was published in the Journal of Safety Research in December 2024 which evidenced that Australian patients who consume botanical cannabis over extended periods do not exhibit significant changes in their simulated driving performance.

“After vaporising one dose of their prescribed cannabis flower, participants exhibited no significant changes in performance on any of the video-based tasks (hazard perception skill, gap acceptance, following distance or speed) compared to baseline”, investigators reported. The study’s authors concluded, “The findings … suggest that a dose of vaporised cannabis (consumed in accordance with prescription) may not affect hazard perception ability or driving-related risk-taking behaviour among medicinal cannabis patients”.

So a decade ago it was shown THC (in particular) had no effect on crash-risk and the same can be said of more recent studies, with each and every one of them reiterating the fact that there is NO elevated risk, nor even any rate of impairment for a majority of cannabis users, medicinally prescribed using their medicine as per prescription or responsible adult-use (self-titrating and not driving if feeling in any way impaired [even though cannabis has been shown to be a mood altering substance, NOT an impairing one]).

So why are we still discriminating against those who choose an ancient, herbal medicine (used safely for thousands of years) which has been proven not to be a major causation factor in motor vehicle crashes? It is a simple question that has not been answered but the effects (or lack of them as the case may be) of THC on driving have been known for over a decade, quite conclusively.

We need the charade that THC is causative in motor vehicle crashes to cover law enforcement discriminating against a minority of mostly ill citizens to end. It is not only impinging on their civil rights but their human rights as well. That is not giving them a fair go, Albo and co.

https://hempedification.wordpress.com/2025/06/29/no-major-crash-risk-associated-with-thc/?utm_source=HEMP+Headlines&utm_campaign=1227beceba-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_662_03_07_25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-67d9ec7ee8-577478486&mc_cid=1227beceba&mc_eid=56138d083d

Drug and Alcohol Crash Risk Study with A semi-naturalistic open-label study examining the effect of prescribed medical cannabis use on simulated driving performance
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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38332655/

This semi-naturalistic study suggests that the consumption of medical cannabis containing THC (1.13-39.18 mg/dose) has a negligible impact on driving performance when used as prescribed.

20/06/2025

A quick look at anti-marijuana television ads through the years.Still haven’t subscribed to The New Yorker on YouTube? ►► http://bit.ly/newyorkeryoutubesub C...

20/06/2025

In the weeds’: navigating the complex concerns, challenges and choices associated with medicinal cannabis consumption for endometriosis.

Chief Scientific Officer Justin Sinclair, whose work continues to advance research in plant science and its role in managing complex conditions like .

His recent presentation at the World Congress on Endometriosis has just been published in the journal Reproduction and Fertility and is now available in Open Access.

🔬 In this paper, Justin explores the experience of people with and the growing body of evidence supporting the role plant science may play in symptom management, a powerful contribution to a field that affects 1 in 9 women in Australia.

Abstract

People with endometriosis report consuming cannabis to manage their symptoms. Given the range of differing legalities and access pathways across the world, this study aimed to investigate the drivers and barriers to cannabis use worldwide. An online, anonymous, cross-sectional survey was distributed internationally by endometriosis organisations and was open to anyone consuming cannabis for endometriosis symptoms.

Survey questions included motivations for both starting and ongoing cannabis consumption, concerns over cannabis use, reasons for stopping cannabis, and communication of cannabis consumption with healthcare providers. Eight hundred and eighty-nine responses were collected across >10 countries. Illicit cannabis (56.7%) was the most common access pathway. 99% of respondents stated they would continue to use cannabis to manage their endometriosis-based symptoms, with 90% reporting they would recommend its use to a friend or relative with the disease.

The most common motivation(s) for cannabis consumption were inadequate pain control (68.6%) and bothersome side effects of medications (56.3%). Similar motivations were reported for ongoing cannabis consumption, with concerns over dependence/addiction on pharmaceutical medications (43.9%) being another common motivation.

Those using illicit cannabis were significantly less likely (P < 0.0001) to disclose their cannabis consumption to medical professionals. Cannabis was viewed as superior to pharmaceuticals both in terms of effectiveness and side-effect profile. Despite this, concerns around cost, breaking the law, judgement due to stigma, and current drug-driving laws were reported. Illicit usage and lack of medical oversight raise concerns over potential drug interactions or withdrawal effects due to reduction in pharmaceutical medications because of cannabis.

Lay summary

Survey participants reported that it is most common internationally for people using cannabis to manage endometriosis pain and associated symptoms to access this illegally, despite medical access being available in many countries.

Many respondents also reported that cannabis was more effective and had a more tolerable side-effect profile than pharmaceutical medications they had used previously. However, over half of respondents were concerned about the negative impact of stigma associated with cannabis and how this might affect their day-to-day lives.

Other concerns were potentially breaking the law where they live, possibly losing their driving licence due to drug-driving laws, or losing their job due to workplace drug-testing policies. Such concerns may be why more than 30% of participants reported not disclosing their cannabis consumption to their doctor.

This is concerning because medical supervision is important to monitor for side effects and potential drug interactions, which people using cannabis may not know exist.

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Abstract People with endometriosis report consuming cannabis to manage their symptoms. Given the range of differing legalities and access pathways across the world, this study aimed to investigate the drivers and barriers to cannabis use worldwide. An online, anonymous, cross-sectional survey was di...

05/06/2025

Get ready for an unforgettable experience this June as Cannabis Nurses Network turns up the volume on our theme “Advocacy in Cannabis Nursing.”

Advocacy is the soul of cannabis nursing—and this month, we’re spotlighting a global game-changer who embodies what it means to be fierce, fearless, and absolutely unstoppable.

NURSE OF THE YEAR.
TWO YEARS STRONG!
Deb Ranson is a global cannabis nursing force - and she’s joining CNN LIVE for our June Spotlight Session!

She’s bold. She’s brilliant. And she’s leading the charge for cannabis care in Australia and beyond.

Online | FREE & Open to the Public

Register NOW: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/kuv-CcluS7GJpl3_RyANyg

This is advocacy in action.
Come catch the spark.

28/05/2025

Mara Gordon is the co-founder of Aunt Zelda's™, The Oil Plant, Calla Spring Wellness, and Zelda Therapeutics. She specializes in the development of cannabis ...

28/05/2025

19/02/2025

Using medicinal cannabis? It’s important to understand your rights at work.

As a medicinal cannabis user in New Zealand, you have certain workplace rights, including:

Right to Privacy – You have a right to keep your prescription information private. However in some cases, you should talk to your employer if medicinal cannabis use may affect workplace safety.

Right to Non-Discrimination – Employers cannot discriminate against you solely based on your use of prescribed medicinal cannabis. However, if your use impacts your job performance or safety, they may take action.

Right to Reasonable Accommodation – In some cases, your employer may need to make adjustments to your duties or schedule to accommodate your medical needs

📖 Learn more about your rights, employer policies, and how to stay compliant.:

🔗 Citizens Advice Bureau: – A quick guide on workplace policies and employee rights: https://www.cab.org.nz/article/KB00043548

🔗Cannabis Clinic: https://cannabisclinic.co.nz/medical-cannabis-and-drug-testing-new-zealand
A detailed look at drug testing, how medicinal cannabis prescriptions may impact employment, workplace policies, and driving laws

16/02/2025

🚨Fun fact: Legalise Cannabis is now Australia’s fourth-largest party! Who would’ve thought? (Besides anyone who’s ever been to a music festival.) 🎉

We’ve already made moves, like protecting medicinal cannabis patients from unfair roadside THC tests in Victoria. But this isn’t a one-hit wonder.

Reform is growing faster than a backyard tomato plant, and together, we can keep it going. Let’s take the next step and show the world what progress looks like!

💚💚💚And on a personal note, thank you for all the support and love you have shown me this week, it really inspires me to keep moving forward. 💚💚💚