15/04/2022
In May 2020, Your Health Your Choice encouraged the public to have their say on the future availability of cannabidiol (CBD) in low doses. From our platform alone, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), received a record 5,399 submissions in just 5 days. This is the largest response to public consultation the TGA Advisory Committee on Medicines Scheduling has ever received. This obviously reflects unmet health needs in the community.
The resulting TGA's ruling to approve over-the-counter sales of low-dose CBD products, those defined as a maximum dose of 150mg a day for adults, has been the biggest step forward for medicinal cannabis to date.
The TGA application process has also been streamlined and patient demand has risen. Current data from the TGA shows prescriptions for medicinal cannabis doubled from 2020 to 2021, with more than 122,000 prescriptions written last year alone.
Data shows most prescriptions are for chronic pain, anxiety, cancer-related symptoms, and insomnia. However, access of some cannabis products remains prohibitively expensive - increasing the risk of patients purchasing less safe, unregulated options from overseas.
Do you use medicinal cannabis?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2022-03-12/medicinal-cannabis-prescriptions-grow-as-access-becomes-easier/100901244