I was one of the earliest prescribers of medicinal cannabis in Australia.

But I’ve always been extremely cautious with the treatment, and I prescribe to existing patients only when all other proven treatments have failed.

It recently emerged that, based on TGA figures,* there are now about 6700 prescribers in Australia for SAS-B permits (doctors and nurse practitioners) and authorised prescribing (doctors) who have treated some one million patients over the past two years with the drug, through the Special Access Scheme for unapproved therapeutic goods.

That is large scale.