Report of Senate Inquiry into the current barriers to patient access to medicinal cannabis in Australia

Report of Senate Inquiry into the current barriers to patient access to medicinal cannabis in Australia

On 25 March 2020 , the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs tabled its report of the inquiry into the current barriers to patient access to medicinal cannabis in Australia. ANZSPM made a submission the inquiry outlining member experience with the current pathways and emphasising that the use of medicinal cannabis should be evidence-based and regulated in the same way as other prescribed medications. 

Overall, the report makes 20 recommendations which include allocating funds to relevant medical colleges and peak bodies to support the development and delivery of accredited face-to-face and online training programs on medicinal cannabis for medical practitioners. However, ANZSPM is disappointed that the Committee seems to have dismissed concerns raised by ANZSPM and others about a lack of evidence on the use of medicinal cannabis and the need for investment in research in Australia to improve the strength of evidence for the efficacy and safety of medicinal cannabis for palliative care (and oncology) patients. The report states at 2.16 that there is "substantial evidence available from around the world to that effect, which should be made available for prescribing doctors to consider". 

Other key recommendations in the report include:

• The mandatory inclusion of modules on the endocannabinoid system and medicinal cannabis in curriculums delivered by primary medical programs (medical schools). 
• A suite of printed and online resources for patients, aimed at explaining the regulatory framework and process to access medicinal cannabis. 
• The TGA to immediately clarify the clinical justification requirements of Special Access Scheme Category B in its instructions to prescribers. 
• The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to review and improve its online resources for health professionals relating to the regulations and processes for prescribing medicinal cannabis through the Special Access Scheme and Authorised Prescriber pathways. 
• The COAG Health Council to develop a National Framework for Medicinal Cannabis Access to ensure that there are appropriate, clear and consistent regulatory pathways for accessing medicinal cannabis in Australia into the future.
• The Australian Government to support the World Health Organization Expert Committee on Drug Dependence's recommendations for changes to the scheduling of cannabis and cannabis- related substances in international drug control conventions.
• The Department of Health to make amendments to the Special Access Scheme Category B pathway allowing approval of multiple medicinal cannabis products in a single application; and/or medicinal cannabis as a class of drug for the treatment of a patient for a particular indication. 

While ANZSPM continues to work through the details of the report and we await the government's response to the report, we encourage members to email info@anzspm.org.au with any comments/feedback on the report and recommendations.