The Pharmacy Board of Australia is urging pharmacists to question or even refuse to fill potentially dangerous prescriptions, amid an increase in scripts for large quantities of high-THC medicinal cannabis.

AHPRA revealed this year that eight doctors had issued more than 10,000 scripts each for the highest-strength THC products in just six months, while one pharmacist had dispensed 959,000 cannabis products in a year — equivalent to 2600 a day.

New guidance from the pharmacy board urges pharmacists to check real-time script monitoring programs, be incredibly cautious about dispensing without interacting with the patient, and to not supply unsafe quantities.

“If the pharmacist decides not to supply the prescribed medicinal cannabis, the patient and the prescriber should be informed about the reasons for the decision and any alternative options that may meet the patient’s needs,” it adds.