ArticleBMJ open2021
Implementation of medicinal cannabis in Australia: innovation or upheaval? Perspectives from physicians as key informants, a qualitative analysis.
Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- From legalisation to practice: implementation of newly legalised health interventions in healthcare settings - a systematic review.BMJ open · 2026Pooled it
- The Colombian Medical Cannabis Paradox: A Scoping Review of Structural Barriers and Health Inequity.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Medicinal cannabis: is current use clinically justified?Internal medicine journal · 2025Review
- Clinicians' attitudes and knowledge of medicinal cannabis in opioid dependence treatment clinics in New South Wales, Australia.Journal of cannabis research · 2025Article
- Article
- Stigma, risks, and benefits of medicinal cannabis use among Australians with cancer.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024Article
- A Descriptive Analysis of Adverse Event Reports from the Quebec Cannabis Registry.Drug safety · 2024Article
- Using Social Media Data to Investigate Public Perceptions of Cannabis as a Medicine: Narrative Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Review
- Social media discourse and internet search queries on cannabis as a medicine: A systematic scoping review.PloS one · 2023Article
- Consumer-Generated Discourse on Cannabis as a Medicine: Scoping Review of Techniques.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Article
- The Rise and Rise of Medicinal Cannabis, What Now? Medicinal Cannabis Prescribing in Australia 2017-2022.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Medicinal Cannabis Prescribing in Australia: An Analysis of Trends Over the First Five Years.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveWe 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.
designA 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.
settingInformants from the states and territories of Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory, and Queensland in Australia were invited to participate in interviews to explore the policy and practice of medicinal cannabis prescribing.
participantsParticipants included 21 prescribing and non-prescribing key informants working in the area of neurology, rheumatology, oncology, pain medicine, psychiatry, public health, and general practice.
resultsThere was an agreement among many informants that medicinal cannabis is, indeed, a pharmaceutical innovation. From the analysis of the informant interviews, the factors that facilitate the diffusion of medicinal cannabis into clincal practice include the adoption of appropriate regulation, the use of data to evaluate safety and efficacy, improved prescriber education, and the continuous monitoring of product quality and cost. Most informants asserted the widespread assimilation of medicinal cannabis into practice is impeded by a lack of health system antecedents that are required to facilitate safe, effective, and equitable access to medicinal cannabis as a therapeutic.
conclusionsThis research highlights the tensions that arise and the factors that influence the rollout of cannabis as an unregistered medicine. Addressing these factors is essential for the safe and effective prescribing in contemporary medical practice. The findings from this research provides important evidence on medicinal cannabis as a therapeutic, and also informs the rollout of potential novel therapeutics in the future.
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Registered trials
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