Mr Owen said the formal guidelines were a welcome change and should make it clear to everyone what good practice looks like.
“The Pharmacy Guild has been working hard to raise our concerns with state and federal regulators about the proliferation of medicinal cannabis prescribing and dispensing, and the unsafe and illegal practices that have emerged in some cases.”
“We applaud the proactive approach of the Pharmacy Board in recently publishing formal guidelines for pharmacists when dispensing medicinal cannabis. I believe this is a very positive first step in addressing some of the issues we’re seeing in this space,” said Mr Owen.
“The Guild shares the concerns raised by the Pharmacy Board in the recently published guidelines that there are too many instances where profits appear to be prioritised over patient safety”.
“Guild members have contacted me directly with examples of poor practice in supplying medicinal cannabis having negative impacts on their patients. These examples include occasions where repeat supplies have been dispensed without a request from the patient and not interacting with the patient directly or not providing any counselling when dispensing medicinal cannabis. These unsafe practices put our patients and the communities they serve at risk. These practices must stop.”
“We will continue to advocate for regulatory change so that this rapidly growing area of practice does not have a negative impact on patients in our community,” said Mr Owen.
“I strongly encourage all pharmacists to observe the guidelines and reflect on their own practice. I also encourage any patients or practitioners to report unsafe practice to the Pharmacy Board’s Notifications Hotline on 1300 361 041,” said Mr Owen.