Doctors in the dark about medical cannabis



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Most Australian general practitioners support the use of medical cannabis, but admit that they do not know enough to prescribe it to their patients.

A survey of 640 general practitioners revealed that 56.5% of medical cannabis supported Most of them stated that they wanted to be trained to prescribe the drug rather than having to go to a specialist, according to the study of the Lambert Initiative on Cannabinoid Therapies at the University of Sydney. However, they felt that their knowledge was insufficient and only a quarter felt comfortable discussing it with patients.

Eighty-six percent of general practitioners rated their knowledge of medicinal cannabis as mediocre, while 65% strongly disagreed. "They knew how to access the drug for patients."

Professor Iain McGregor, academic director of the Lambert Initiative, said the results demonstrated an urgent need to educate and train GPs to prescribe

"Despite recent political announcements, fewer than 800 patients had access to legal medicinal cannabis in Australia," he said.

"Part of the problem is the specialized model that largely excludes generalists prescribe; most Australians know how difficult it is to have access to specialized medical care, let alone a specialist in cannabis-based drugs

"This situation continues to frustrate patients who continue to have access to illicit cannabis to self-medicate. "

The study, published by the BMJ Open on Wednesday, revealed that GPs strongly support the medical cannabis prescribed to help people cope with cancer-related pain, care In 1965, Health Ministers decided to simplify the process for patients seeking rapid access to medical cannabis.

The Commonwealth-led agreement involves a process of Single approval under the law.TGA, avoiding overlap with the state authorities.

Despite the political interest in pushing the product to the market, the president of the 39 AMA, Dr. Tony Bartone, called for caution because of the lack of reliable data.It's a case where the cart arrived in front of the horse, "he said. to ABC Radio

. Medical cannabis "has not followed the usual circuits of preparation and supply and logistic guarantee". – with AAP


Read the full study here

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