Medical cannabis advocates in Australia are calling for easier access to medicinal marijuana products, citing reports that deaths from sleeping and anxiety pills have become a “hidden epidemic.”

Reports Show Opioid Deaths in Australia Are On the Rise

A recent report released by the Penington Institute showed that deaths from sleeping and anxiety pills, opioids, and methamphetamine have all risen sharply in Australia.

Key players in the emerging industrial hemp business say Australia is missing a golden opportunity to develop a nutraceuticals industry based on the non-psychoactive ingredients in the cannabis plant.

New research suggests that so-called cannabidiols or CBDs are found in plants grown for fibre or seed grain and they can treat a wide range of medical problems including serious forms of epilepsy.

But under Australian law, growers cannot harvest this material unless they are licensed by the Federal Office for Drug Control under strict security conditions.

Last January Health Minister Greg Hunt gave the green light for a medical cannabis industry in Australia.

Key players in the emerging industrial hemp business say Australia is missing a golden opportunity to develop a nutraceuticals industry based on the non-psychoactive ingredients in the cannabis plant.

New research suggests that so-called cannabidiols or CBDs are found in plants grown for fibre or seed grain and they can treat a wide range of medical problems including serious forms of epilepsy.

But under Australian law, growers cannot harvest this material unless they are licensed by the Federal Office for Drug Control under strict security conditions.

Last January Health Minister Greg Hunt gave the green light for a medical cannabis industry in Australia.

Experts agree that any marijuana stock worth the investment should have a global growth strategy to bring cannabis to other parts of the world. Australia is a critical player in the international cannabis market, certainly with the medical marijuana already legalized down under.

The Australian continent’s location forms a hub for exports to Asian markets as well, giving the cannabis industry a worldwide distribution port. These are the top three cannabis companies to watch in the Australian marijuana market.

A survey has looked into how Australians use illicit cannabis to treat health conditions.

Australians who use illicit cannabis for medical reasons do so mainly to treat mental health issues, chronic pain, and sleep problems.

An anonymous online survey of 1748 participants was conducted in April to October 2016—immediately prior to the 2016 legislation for frameworks for medicinal cannabis use being passed.

Researchers from the University of Sydney found the most frequent reasons for medicinal cannabis use were to treat anxiety (50.7%), back pain (50%), depression (49.3%), and sleep problems (43.5%).

Respondents had used medicinal cannabis an average of 19.9 days of the previous 28 days, and a median of 26 of the preceding 28 days.

Restrictive medical cannabis laws and few doctors willing to prescribe cannabis in Australia mean many sick people are stuck with the black market.

In Australia, a continent-country of 24 million people, there are 38,000 physicians licensed to work as general practitioners.

In Australia, a country where medical marijuana has been legal since 2016 for anyone with a doctor’s note to use it, there is exactly one general practitioner — out of 38,000 — who is an “authorized prescriber for medical cannabis,” according to the president of the country’s most prominent organization representing doctors.

The legalisation of medical marijuana in Australia and the speculation that recreational marijuana may well be next could open up fresh possibilities for commercial real estate in Australia as major players race to establish domestic manufacturing facilities.

Aphria (TSX:APH) has completed its largest export of cannabis oil to date through a shipment to Australia’s Medlab Clinical (ASX:MDC), it announced on Thursday (July 26).

It’s been widely believed that CBD is the compound in cannabis with medicinal value, but a new study out of Australia shows that THC shouldn’t be discounted in medical use either, wrirtes Jericho Knopp.

The study, out of the University of Sydney, looked at parents who turned to medicinal cannabis to treat epileptic seizures in their children, many of who were getting their drugs through the black market.

Australians spend over $12 billion a year on looking after our pets, with vet fees being of the biggest expenses. Sadly, medication for our fluffy friends can also have awful side effects, such as nausea, loss of appetite, depression and internal bleeding.

That's where animal-focused pharmaceutical CannPal is hoping to change things. Working with the CSIRO under its Kick-start program, the company is researching ways to avoid these negative effects with medicinal cannabis.

The CannPal website talks about the science behind the research, stating that all mammals have biological and neurological systems that can receive and process nutritional cannabinoids.