FAQ
Medicinal Cannabis refers to a range of approved pharmaceuticals preparations of medicinal cannabis like oils, tinctures, capsules and other extracts where the specific active components are known, carefully controlled, standardised and is regulated for patient use to ensure consistency across treatments. The Medicinal Cannabis industry in Australia falls under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 (TGA). Under TGA, Medicinal Cannabis is only administered through the following schemes:
– Authorised Prescriber Scheme (AP)
– Special Access Scheme (SAS)
– Clinical Trials
Cannabis remains a highly regulated drug in Australia and growing or using cannabis without these relevant licenses or authorised prescription remains illegal.
The Cannabis plant produces natural compounds called cannabinoids that can help regulate our body’s Endocannabinoid system. The Endocannabinoids System (ECS) is involved in many key physiological functions including mood, memory, energy, metabolism, immunity, inflammation, sleep, pain, digestion, neuroprotection and more. THC (Delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol) is the most commonly found Cannabinoids in the Cannabis Plant followed by the CBD (Cannabidiol) which is the 2nd most commonly found Cannabinoids in the Cannabis Plant.
CBD, short for Cannabidiol, is one of the non-psychoactive compounds found in the Cannabis plant which interacts with the body’s Endocannabinoid System. Therapeutic properties of CBD include being an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-emetic, anti-psychotic, anxiolytic, neuro-protective, anti-seizure and improving sleep. It does not cause the intoxicating, euphoric effects that can be caused by THC and may, in fact, reduce some of the potential side effects of THC such as nervousness.
THC, short for Delta 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol, is a psychotropic component of the Cannabis plant responsible for the Euphoric & psychoactive effect of cannabis. THC interacts with cannabinoid receptor and has effects such as analgesic, anti-spasmodic, reduces chemotherapy-induced nausea & vomiting, stimulates appetite and decreases intestinal motility.
Medicinal Cannabis can be used for a variety of conditions that are currently approved by TGA:
– Chronic Non-Cancer Pain
– Cancer Pain and Symptoms Management
– Neuropathic Pain
– Fibromyalgia
– Migraine
– Chemotherapy Induced Nausea & Vomiting (CINV)
– Refractory Nausea & Vomiting
– Palliative Care
– Multiple Sclerosis
– Spasticity
– Seizure Management
– PTSD
– Insomnia
– Anxiety
– Anorexia
– Dementia
– Dystonia
– Parkinson’s Disease
– Huntington Disease
– Tourette’s Syndrome
– Autism Spectrum Disorder
A common concern for patients is that medicinal cannabis will make them feel euphoric or “high”. In Clinical practice, this is not what we are trying to achieve. The main goal in using medicinal cannabis is to achieve good relief of symptoms without producing a “high” and ideally doing it with minimal or no side effects. This is accomplished by the “Start low, Go slow” methodology, where we get patient to start at low doses and slowly titrating up the effective therapeutic levels.
While THC is responsible for the “high” most commonly associated with cannabis use, CBD is not psychoactive and can be extracted and administered independently of THC.
When first trying cannabis, you may experience some of the following feelings:
– Drowsiness/Fatigue
– Dizziness
– Dry Mouth
– Anxiety
– Nausea
– Cognitive impairment
– Euphoria
– Blurred vision
– Headache
– Diarrhea
– Increased appetite
Always speak to your doctor about any side effect you experience.
The sensitivity of each person’s underlying Endocannabinoid System (ECS) is highly variable, therefore there is no single type of product, dosage or mode of delivery that is optimal for everyone. Sometimes you may have to trial a few various Medicinal Cannabis product before getting to the right combination or dosage. Your Doctor will guide and advise you on which product to trial for your conditions during the consultation.
Indica and Sativa are used in plant taxonomy as species name and refer to the phenotype of a cannabis plant. These names are commonly used by medicinal cannabis patients. Whilst C Indica and C Sativa are two distinct species, it would be rare to find. A pure Indica or Sativa variety due to centuries of cross-breeding. Today the majority of cannabis varieties are hybrids, created by crossbreeding two varieties, that may be Indica or Sativa dominant. The Sativa varieties tend to be energizing and therefore good for daytime use, whereas the Indica varieties is more sedating, more suited for evening use. These terms can be a useful reference, but they are not scientifically valid as most of the medicinal cannabis are now distinguished by the CBD vs THC concentrations.
There are evidences in the scientific literature to suggest that cannabis has a low risk profile for addiction, with lower rate of addiction in regular cannabis users than in users of alcohol, tobacco and even caffeine.
Cannabis may interact with several medications, particularly any drugs that slow down the Central Nervous System, causing drowsiness. Do not consume cannabis and alcohol at the same time, their effects may magnify each other’s causing discomfort and intoxication. Extra care has to be taken for patients who have previous history of psychosis (including Bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia), history of drug and alcohol addiction, pregnant or planning on become pregnant or breastfeeding, patients with unstable cardiovascular disease or patients who have allergies to cannabis or its constituents carrier oil (Coconut, Sunflower, Grapeseed, MCT oil )
Medicinal cannabis can be taken in a variety of ways depending on the clinical indication. We generally recommend oral administration through oil drops or capsules. We recommend vaporisation of flowers via a TGA approved vapouriser if you are prescribed a dry flower/herbs products, which you may obtain from Cannabis Dispensary.
Oral preparations are absorbed more slowly and takes around 30-90 minutes to take effects depending on your metabolism and things such as. Whether you have eaten before consuming the oil. Peak effect occurs around 2-4 hours and can last for up to 8 hours or more.
Patients should not drive, work at heights or operate machinery while being treated with medicinal cannabis if the product contains THC. Driving under the influence of THC is illegal in Australia. Your suitability to drive, work at heights or operates machinery depends on the type of treatment you have been prescribed, and this should be discussed with your doctor.
Recreational cannabis / marijuana is very different to medicinal cannabis. For quality and safely purposes, we recommend that you always choose a legal cannabis source. Medical grade cannabis has been tested for purity and is certified as contaminant free, this is not the case with cannabis obtained via illegal means.
Once you have been evaluated by your doctor and prescribed a medicinal cannabis therapy, we will need to complete the appropriate government application for approvals. This form requires us to include the condition being treated, what other failed therapies that you have tried in the past and the name of the GP or Specialist that has treated you. We will require your Medical Health Summary plus any referral by your existing doctors (GP or Specialist) for your trialling the Medicinal Cannabis therapy. Any additional information or report that detailed your condition and the drug/non-drug therapies you have tried in the past will assist us in strengthening the approval process for you.
As Medicinal Cannabis is an unregistered medicine, it is not covered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). This makes it more expensive than other PBS approved medications. All doctor consults and the medicinal cannabis products will be an out of pocket cost to the patients.
We charge an initial consult fee of $150 which includes the doctors consult and the TGA and/or State Government application process for approval. Subsequent consultation cost $100 per consult.
Our doctor consults via Tele-health. We find this to be the best option in order to assist patients gain access to Medicinal Cannabis as we are not restricted by location and can help patients all over Australia. Individual states and territories also have their own separate legislation in regards to approvals process and the type of Medicinal Cannabis product patient can access. This will be discussed in further details by your doctor.
The number of consultations you require will be determined by your condition and goals. One consultation will not be enough as your doctor have to see your regularly to monitor your progress and also adjust your medicinal cannabis dosage and therapies accordingly.
Medicanna Health has a dispensary arm called Cannabis Dispensary that will coordinate with you once you have obtained your approval to use Medicinal Cannabis. Cannabis Dispensary will assist you in ordering your medications and arranging for them to be deliver to your preferred delivery address, saving you the convenience of having to find a local pharmacist to order your medications in. We have streamlined the process for the convenience of our patients, making access to medicinal cannabis easier.