June 13th Highlights

• Medical Cannabis Approval on the Rise - Medicinal cannabis prescriptions are on the rise in Australia, and general practitioners will increasingly encounter patients using cannabis-based products. As of 31st of May 2021, the TGA has approved over 120,000 SAS Category B applications for unapproved medicinal cannabis products. In May, Australian cannabis approvals INCREASED by 141% from the previous year. In 2020, 4133 SAS Category B applications were approved - one year later the TGA approved 9965 applications. In April, the total number of approvals was 6682 - I suspect this was due to the flower shortage in the market. Now that all products are back in stock - the approvals have grown again. Doctor acceptance is changing and the patient base is growing.
• The Leahtal Dose - Cannabis is a relatively safe drug, and it is not associated with fatal overdoses. The human lethal dose of THC has been extrapolated to be >15,000 mg. This highlights that THC has a very wide safety margin, as this lethal dose is 750 times greater than a typical intoxicating dose of 20 mg. Phase 1 studies demonstrate that CBD is well tolerated even at very high doses (up to 6000 mg). The lethal dose of fentanyl is generally stated to be 2 milligrams. Morphine doses of over 200 mg are considered to be lethal. Unlike opioids, cannabis does not cause respiratory depression because of a paucity of cannabinoid receptor expression in the brainstem.

The Australian Journal of General Practices launch cannabis info portal

Australian hemp-based skincare brand Hey Bud bags $2 million to fuel bricks-and-mortar

ECS Botanics reports jump in sales as demand for cannabis products grows

Zelira to begin clinical trials for chronic pain in retired athletes