News and updates
Find out about the latest news and developments in the medicinal cannabis industry.
June 2024
Position Paper – Workplace Drug Testing
This paper sets out Cannabis Council Australia's position on current arrangements for workplace drug testing in the context of legally prescribed medicinal cannabis. It looks at the limitations of current arrangements, including the problems with universally applied testing regimes, the risk of perpetuating stigma and why testing for presence rather than impairment is discriminatory toward medicinal cannabis patients.
June 2024
Position Paper on Medicinal Cannabis and Driving Laws in Australia
This position paper, authored by Dr Michael White, a lead academic in road safety, lays out the current legal status of medicinal cannabis and driving, the risk of crashing while using medicinal cannabis, the flaws in testing for mere presence, rather than impairment, and describes how current arrangements should change to ensure fairness for medicinal cannabis patients without impacting road safety.
20 December 2023
'Plant medicine' terminology prompts TGA warning to industry
Clinics using the description “plant-based medicine” to market their services could be forced to drop the term after it was singled out by the regulator as potentially non-compliant in its freshly-updated guidance for the advertising of medicinal cannabis.
30 November 2023
New state-based driving campaign launched, as 99% of patients call for change
A new industry campaign, Road to Reform, has recently launched, supporting state amendments to driving laws after a survey of thousands of patients found more than 99% back the call for change.
29 November 2023
Therapeutic vape standards to be raised in 2024 as part of government reforms
Product standards for therapeutic vapes will be strengthened next year, the government has said, as it carries through on its pledge to reform vaping regulations in Australia. But it remains unclear how, or even if the reforms will impact cannabis companies which sell vapes as part of their product range.
26 October 2023
Medical cannabis passes 1 million prescriptions despite rampant stigma
A recent survey of more that 6,000 medical cannabis patients showed that 61% were reluctant to discuss their medical treatment, with many citing concerns around perceptions of cannabis in the community.
17 October 2023
Victoria prepares to launch medicinal cannabis driving trial
Medicinal cannabis users will be able to get behind the wheel on closed roads as part of a trial to assess the impact the drug has on their driving ability, under new laws introduced to Victorian parliament.
26 September 2023
TGA submissions outline patient impact of medical cannabis ad regulations
Recent submissions to the industry regulator outline how requirements to avoid the term ‘medical cannabis’ has caused uncertainty for patients, and not being able to speak in plain English causes real harm and confusion around available treatment options.
26 August 2023
The Australians prescribed cannabis but left fighting to keep their jobs
Medical cannabis is an issue that businesses, employees, unions and governments across Australia are trying to navigate after its introduction as a prescribed medication. Some workers have been stood down while others face stigma or are hiding their use.
8 June 2023
Calls for more medicinal cannabis brands to be added to Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme as costs surge
Thousands of Australians who use medicinal cannabis to treat conditions including epilepsy and chronic pain. There are hundreds of treatments on the market but very few are covered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
13 May 2023
Medicinal cannabis use rising, passes 1 million prescriptions
Medicinal cannabis use is booming, with more than 1 million prescriptions issued for the drug since it was legalised in 2016. In 2022, doctors prescribed the drug to 316,879 patients, compared with 150,117 in 2021 and just 292 in 2018, according to the TGA.