The Australian Medical Association's Dr. Danielle McMullen has expressed her concerns that cannabis telehealth services have become vulnerable to exploitation — particularly in relation to medical cannabis prescribing.
Dr. McMullen's comments come after the Australian Medical Association published its submission to Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration's (TGA) review into unapproved medicinal cannabis products earlier this month.
Dr. McMullen says cannabis telehealth services provided a valuable access point for healthcare generally during the COVID pandemic and have since become a permanent fixture. However, she warns that the rise of single-issue cannabis telehealth providers is bypassing general practitioners and specialists, and that the prescribing practices of some are putting patient safety at risk.
"We must act now to protect patients and restore trust," Dr. McMullen wrote on LinkedIn. "This means closing regulatory gaps, requiring medicinal cannabis manufacturers to demonstrate efficacy and safety, and ensuring all cannabis telehealth services — including those involving medicinal cannabis — are held to the same clinical and ethical standards as traditional care."
The Australian Medical Association President said there has been a rise in hospital emergency department cases linked to high-THC medicinal cannabis products, including cases of psychosis and problematic substance dependence. Dr. McMullen emphasized that stronger oversight is needed to ensure cannabis telehealth models maintain the same safeguards expected in face-to-face medicine.
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