Overview of global monitoring systems for the side effects and adverse events associated with medicinal cannabis use: a scoping review using a systematic approach.

Objectives: The use of cannabis-based medicine (CBM) as a therapeutic has surged in Australia over the past 5 years. Historically, the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961) prohibited cannabis use in Europe, the USA, the UK and Australia, leading to legislative resistance and limited preclinical data on CBM. Existing safety monitoring systems for CBM are poorly structured and do not integrate well into the workflows of busy health professionals.

Evidence from Human Studies for Utilising Cannabinoids for the Treatment of Substance-Use Disorders: A Scoping Review with a Systematic Approach.

Substance-use disorders are pervasive, comorbid with a plethora of disease and possess limited treatment options. Medicinal cannabinoids have been proposed as a novel potential treatment based on preclinical/animal trials. The objective of this study was to examine the efficacy and safety of potential therapeutics targeting the endocannabinoid system in the treatment of substance-use disorders.

: Use of electronic medical records to monitor the safe and effective prescribing of medicinal cannabis: is it feasible?

Background: General practitioners are well positioned to contribute to the pharmacovigilance of medical cannabis via the general practice electronic medical record (EMR). The aim of this research is to interrogate de-identified patient data from the Patron primary care data repository for reports of medicinal cannabis to ascertain the feasibility of using EMRs to monitor medicinal cannabis prescribing in Australia.

Methods: EMR rule-based digital phenotyping of 1 164 846 active patients from 109 practices was undertaken to investigate reports of medicinal cannabis use from September 2017 to September 2020.

The Rise and Rise of Medicinal Cannabis, What Now? Medicinal Cannabis Prescribing in Australia 2017-2022.

Medicinal cannabis was legalised in Australia in November 2016. By August 2022, there were 5284 specialist physician and general practitioner (GP) prescribers who submitted Special Access Scheme (SAS) applications to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for the provision of medicinal cannabis prescriptions their patients. In this article we examine the impact of the delivery of publicly available clinical guidance documents, provision of education to prescribers, establishment of the TGA online portal, and launching of cannabis clinics on the number of applications approved by the TGA over time.

Use of electronic medical records to monitor the safe and effective prescribing of medicinal cannabis: is it feasible?

Background: General practitioners are well positioned to contribute to the pharmacovigilance of medical cannabis via the general practice electronic medical record (EMR). The aim of this research is to interrogate de-identified patient data from the Patron primary care data repository for reports of medicinal cannabis to ascertain the feasibility of using EMRs to monitor medicinal cannabis prescribing in Australia.

Methods: EMR rule-based digital phenotyping of 1 164 846 active patients from 109 practices was undertaken to investigate reports of medicinal cannabis use from September 2017 to September 2020.

Pharmacists' perceptions and experiences of medicinal cannabis dispensing: A narrative review with a systematic approach.

Objectives: Medicinal cannabis was introduced with limited understanding of effect, and minimal rigorous evidence supporting efficacy, yet the global demand for medicinal cannabis continues to increase. In Australia, pharmacists remain a key conduit between the prescriber and patient, as most medicinal cannabis products are available only through approved prescriptions. This places pharmacists in a strong position to inform the evolving policy and practice of medicinal cannabis.

Implementation of medicinal cannabis in Australia: innovation or upheaval? Perspectives from physicians as key informants, a qualitative analysis.

Objective: We sought to explore physician perspectives on the prescribing of cannabinoids to patients to gain a deeper understanding of the issues faced by prescriber and public health advisors in the rollout of medicinal cannabis.

Design: A thematic qualitative analysis of 21 in-depth interviews was undertaken to explore the narrative on the policy and practice of medicinal cannabis prescribing. The analysis used the Diffusion of Innovations (DoI) theoretical framework to model the conceptualisation of the rollout of medicinal cannabis in the Australian context.

Opioid prescribing in the emergency department of a tertiary hospital: A retrospective audit of hospital discharge data.

Objective: EDs are a common source of prescription opioids on discharge. We explored opioid prescribing practices in an ED at a tertiary hospital in Victoria, Australia.

Methods: A retrospective audit over a 6 month period of patients discharged from the ED to the community with the maximum allowable quantities of prescription opioids.

Opioid prescribing in orthopaedic and neurosurgical specialties in a tertiary hospital: a retrospective audit of hospital discharge data.

Background: To understand patterns of opioid prescribing on discharge in the orthopaedic and neurosurgical wards of a tertiary metropolitan hospital.

Methods: A retrospective audit of medical records and discharge summaries for all orthopaedic and neurosurgical patients admitted for at least 2 days on two surgical wards over a 6-month period between 1 January and 30 June 2017.

Results: A combined total of 355 patients (281 orthopaedic and 74 neurosurgical patients) were included in the audit.

Adolescent alcohol problems: whose responsibility is it anyway?

Experimentation with alcohol is a normal part of teenage psychosocial development. Society's approach to adolescent alcohol consumption is ambiguous and sends young people mixed messages. Epidemiological data demonstrate disturbing trends in patterns of alcohol use by young people, including widespread early-onset, regular binge drinking.

Teenage drinking and the onset of alcohol dependence: a cohort study over seven years.

Aim: To determine whether adolescent alcohol use and/or other adolescent health risk behaviour predisposes to alcohol dependence in young adulthood.

Design: Seven-wave cohort study over 6 years.

Participant: A community sample of almost two thousand individuals followed from ages 14-15 to 20-21 years.