The Australian Medical Association’s Dr Danielle McMullen has expressed her concerns that telehealth has become vulnerable to exploitation — particularly in relation to medical cannabis prescribing.
The comments of Dr. McMullen come shortly after the AMA submitted its submission in response to Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) review on unapproved medicinal marijuana products.
McMullen said that telehealth was a great way to access healthcare during the COVID epidemic and it has been a constant since. The rise of telehealth services that focus on a single issue is displacing specialists and general practitioners, while the prescribing methods of some providers are endangering patient safety.
The time to act is now in order to safeguard patients and restore confidence. Dr. McMullen wrote on LinkedIn. “This means closing regulatory gaps, requiring medicinal cannabis manufacturers to demonstrate efficacy and safety, and ensuring all telehealth services — including those involving medicinal cannabis — are held to the same clinical and ethical standards as traditional care.”
According to the AMA president, there is a significant increase in cases at hospital emergency departments that are linked with high-THC medical cannabis products. These include cases of psychosis as well as problematic drug dependence.
Penington Institute is a different view. It focuses on minimizing serious harms caused by legal and illegal drugs.
The Institute’s submission argues for patient access to medical cannabis via a reliable, safe and affordable framework. It also urges the TGA not to lose sight of a balanced, evidence-based strategy.
The Penington Institute says there is little evidence current access has led to an increase in health harms, and changes impacting access could push patients towards the unregulated, illicit market.
This is what I think. ABC reportBetween July 1, 2022, and June 1, 2020, 615 reports of adverse events involving medicinal cannabis products that were not registered with the TGA. The severity of adverse events can range from mild to severe. Five of the most common adverse reactions were reported: anxiety (76 reports), headache (65), vomiting (57), coughing (55) and psychotic disorder 54.
According to reports, the TGA authorised at least 979,000 prescription applications Through its specialist access pathways, the cannabis medicinal market is expected to reach $1 billion in 2024.
It’s not clear yet when the TGA may deliver its initial findings/recommendations concerning medical cannabis reform, but it has committed to further consultation with stakeholders regarding any proposed changes.