Pharmacy Daily | Education needed as CBD goes S3

PHARMACISTS may theoretically be able to provide low-dose medicinal cannabis products to patients over-the-counter (OTC), but it could be "years rather than months" before any are listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), an industry expert warns.

MedReleaf Executive Director, Nathan Davis, told Pharmacy Daily, that there was a need for pharmacists and other health professionals to receive greater education about existing prescribing pathways for patients who may be eligible to use the medicines through the Special Access Scheme (SAS), following the scheduling shift for low-dose cannabidiol.

Davis urged pharmacists to "engage with prescribers" to ensure they "know where to direct patients" who may benefit from treatment using medicinal cannabis.

In a post on LinkedIn, Davis said he'd had number of calls from pharmacists following the 01 Feb down-scheduling move.

"It's being reported in the mainstream media [and] patients are already contacting pharmacies about this... [which is] only creating further frustration," he said.

"The biggest piece of the puzzle is still missing, a product still needs to be registered.... this takes time."

Davis advised pharmacists to download the Therapeutic Goods Administration's 'How to access medicinal cannabis' infographic, as a tool to assist them with any enquiries they may receive about CBD medications.