For Alice Davey, endometriosis and multiple sclerosis once meant days spent bedridden in pain. That changed when she was prescribed medicinal cannabis. “I’m no longer in debilitating pain. I eat. I sleep. I don’t have nausea,” she said. Davey reports no side effects and has become an advocate and a federal candidate for the Legalize Cannabis Party. Yet, she argues that for many Australians, quality medicinal cannabis remains cannabis scarce despite legal reforms.
Davey’s frustration is shared by other patients. Over the past three years, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has received 615 reports of adverse events related to unapproved medicinal cannabis products. Anxiety topped the list of side effects, followed by psychotic disorders, paranoia, and hallucinations. While the TGA stresses that reporting an adverse event does not prove causation, the lack of investigations has left many feeling information is cannabis scarce and fragmented.
“I’m shocked the medicine’s regulator has not investigated hundreds of reports of potential harm,” Davey said. “How are we supposed to know what’s safe if there are no tests?” For patients, reliable data on risks and benefits is as cannabis scarce as affordable, consistent supply.
Industry leaders also caution against panic. The chair of the Australian Medicinal Cannabis Association notes that 615 adverse events represent a very small percentage compared to the millions of units sold. Even so, psychiatrists like Brett Emerson are sounding alarms about an uptick in psychotic episodes among medicinal cannabis patients. In his view, marketing cannabis as a “green natural product” without significant risks can mislead vulnerable people, and transparent education is still cannabis scarce in public messaging.
In response, the TGA announced last month that it will review the safety and regulation of medicinal cannabis. Advocates hope the review will expand research and improve product standards so that patients are not left navigating a system where accurate information and quality medicine are cannabis scarce.
For now, Davey continues to push for reform. She argues that patients need trustworthy, evidence-based data as well as consistent, affordable access to medicine. Until then, relief may be legal on paper but practically cannabis scarce for thousands who depend on it.
The Australian experience highlights a global lesson: legalization alone doesn’t guarantee safety or supply. Without strong oversight, transparent research, and equitable access, both knowledge and products can remain cannabis scarce, leaving patients to shoulder the risks.