The Australian medical cannabis industry is prescribing cannabis "excessively" without proper control, the country's doctors and pharmacists denounced on Tuesday, calling for "emergency measures".
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Australian Pharmaceutical Guild have stated that the industry too often dispenses prescriptions without "appropriate clinical monitoring".
"Emergency measures are needed to ensure that medical cannabis is prescribed, dispensed and regulated in the same way as other drugs that can lead to addiction," according to WADA President Danielle McMullen.
While acknowledging evidence suggesting that medical cannabis can help treat epilepsy, chemotherapy-induced nausea, or multiple sclerosis, doctors have warned that the system is being "instrumentalized."
"There is little or no scientific evidence for many of the problems for which it is prescribed, such as anxiety, insomnia, or depression," Ms. McMullen also stated.
Doctors are also noting "the use of medical cannabis among people already suffering from psychotic disorders".
The Age newspaper revealed this year that a doctor working for medical cannabis giant Montu had issued approximately 72,000 prescriptions to some 10,000 patients in just two years.
According to the consulting firm Grand View Research, the global medical cannabis market is expected to reach more than $65 billion by 2030.
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