GPs will soon be able to prescribe medicinal cannabis to patients in Tasmania, ABC News has reported.
Currently, Tasmania is the only Australian jurisdiction in which patients cannot request a prescription for medicinal cannabis from a GP.
Instead, patients can only legally obtain medicinal cannabis via a medical specialist such as a neurologist.
As reported by ABC News, the State Government has said that GPs can prescribe the drug from Thursday, July 1st, after they have sought permission through the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
The process involves GPs applying for each patient individually via the national streamlined online application pathway and receiving approval as to whether they can prescribe within 48 hours.
It is hoped that the changes will make medicinal cannabis more accessible, given that only 16 Tasmanians were legally prescribed medicinal cannabis through the state’s Controlled Access Scheme from September 2017 to August 2020.
As reported by ABC News, all medicinal cannabis prescribed through the Controlled Access Scheme is given out at a rate subsidised by the State Government. Under the changes, it is understood that patients who have been prescribed the drug by specialists will still be able to access it at a subsidised rate.
Chairman of the Tasmanian branch of The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Dr Tim Jackson, told ABC News that it may take a while for GPs to be willing to prescribe medicinal cannabis after July 1st due to the need for more education.
“It’s confusing at the moment, there’s no direct clinical guidelines, so I think that’s why most GPs would be a bit cautious about prescribing something like this until there’s a bit more information,” Dr Jackson said.
“The problem from a general practice point of view is we’re not entirely sure about the safety and the efficacy of medicinal cannabis, although there is more information becoming available,” he said.
“I wouldn’t expect any GPs to be able to prescribe medicinal cannabis in the short term, so I’d encourage patients not to have the expectation that you can now go to your GP and get medicinal cannabis … it’s probably going to take, in reality, six to nine months, even 12 months probably.”
