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.
The Penington Institute, which focuses on minimizing serious harms from legal and illicit drugs, sees the issue differently. In its submission, the Institute supported patient access to medicinal cannabis through a safe, affordable, and reliable medical framework and urged the TGA to maintain a balanced, evidence-based approach.
The Institute stated that there is little evidence current access has led to increased health harms, and that overregulation of cannabis telehealth could drive patients toward unregulated, illicit markets.
According to an ABC report, there were 615 adverse event reports made to the TGA involving unregistered medicinal cannabis products between July 1, 2022, and June 1, 2025. Adverse events ranged from mild to serious, with the most common being anxiety (76), headache (65), nausea (57), cough (55), and psychotic disorder (54).
The Australian Medical Association continues to call for tighter standards and better regulatory alignment to protect patients using cannabis telehealth platforms. It’s not yet clear when the TGA will deliver its initial findings or recommendations concerning medical cannabis reform, but it has committed to further consultation with stakeholders regarding any proposed changes.