Clinical guidance for prescribers of cannabis medicines

​​​​In NSW, expert clinical guidance and cannabis medicine prescribing advice for general practitioners, community pharmacists, and rural health practitioners is available via the John Hunter Hospital Pharmacy Department.

The service can assist with:

• understanding the latest evidence around cannabis medicines
• understanding the regulatory requirements for cannabis prescription
• considering tools to monitor a patient’s progress whilst using cannabis medicines
• provision of protocols to facilitate cannabis medicine prescribing

The John Hunter Hospital Pharmacy Department can be contacted by email at HNELHD-JHHPharmacy@health.nsw.gov.au.

Public health practitioners working in metropolitan local health districts should consult their local medicines information services for clinical guidance and prescribing advice.

Clinical guidelines

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has published Medicinal cannabis - guidance documents for medicinal cannabis in treating:

• multiple sclerosis
• palliative care patients
• epilepsy in paediatric and young adult patients
• nausea and vomiting, and
• chronic non-cancer pain

Prescribing guidance

​Most cannabis medicines prescribed in Australia are not included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) and have not undergone full evaluation of safety, quality or effectiveness.

The TGA provides additional information​​ on what this means in practice, including the risks and the importance of informed decision-making.​​