PLANT-BASED speciality pharmacy and clinic, MediGreen's proprietor Angelica Rostov says she has witnessed unethical behaviour in the medicinal cannabis industry going unchecked for too long.
She has spoken out against what she terms are "clinics, doctors and pharmacists who regard medicinal cannabis as a money-grabbing exercise, putting profits, instead of patients, first".
"As a health professional, it is very distressing to see this happening."
She explained that open prescriptions have been a point of discussion for a long time, with bodies such as the TGA emphasising they are not valid prescriptions.
Yet, "we still have doctors writing things like 'Rx Indica flower THC 25% to 33% 10gm, with repeats'," Rostov remarked.
"I would like to ask these prescribers, 'would you write a prescription for oxycodone 5mg to 15mg and leave it up to the patient and their pharmacist to decide what strength should be dispensed for them?'
"The answer would be a resounding 'No'.
"So why are some prescribers writing open prescriptions for medicinal cannabis?
"Is it laziness or do they not know what they are doing?" she asked.
The majority of medicinal cannabis products are classified as Schedule 8 (S8) medications and all rules and regulations regarding S8 prescribing and dispensing must be adhered to, she urged.
Professional indemnity insurer, Pharmaceutical Defence Limited (PDL) confirmed the same and more to its members, "currently, there is a variable understanding of the legal requirements for writing prescriptions, with some prescribing software not being configured to assist with this".
"Be aware of the necessity for prescribers to be explicit about dosage and product substitution.
"Be wary of scripts that state a range of dosage strengths.
"Scripts must state exactly the strength of the product to be supplied rather than a range."
As for all S8 medications, PDL strongly recommends the use of Real Time Prescription Monitoring (RTPM) prior to the supply of S8 medical cannabis products.
This is a legal requirement in jurisdictions where RTPM is mandatory, and PDL considers it best practice in those jurisdictions where review of RTPM records is not mandatory.
Rostov also noted that there were 'free' clinics and telehealth calls to hand out multiple open scripts to the same patient, without them even needing the product.
Read about PDL's practice alert for medicinal cannabis, HERE. JG
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