In his article on ‘The Conversation’ website, Professor David Penington of The University of Melbourne explores the case for medical cannabis in Australia, the potential risks, moves in the rest of the world, and highlights why cannabis (in its raw form), will never be a prescription drug in Australia. The article is well-balanced and has some good insights for those interested in this ongoing debate.

Click here to read the article.

A great article published in the Daily Telegraph in 2015, ‘The problems with legalising Cannabis’ was written by Professor Nick Talley, President of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and gives a unique perspective on medical cannabis – that of the doctor treating patients. Professor Talley raises questions about how doctors are to treat patients with cannabis if they don’t know how much to prescribe and can’t provide consistent dosages. An interesting read for those who are considering the logistics of implementation should medical cannabis be legalised, and for those who are interested in the possible dilemmas doctors may face.

Read the full article here.

Bertha Madras, is a Professor of Psychobiology, Department of Psychiatry, at the Harvard Medical School. Professor Madras was recently called as a prosecution expert in an interesting district court case in America. In brief, several Americans were charged with illegally growing cannabis, and their trial sparked a debate about reclassifying the drug (which is a schedule 1 drug in the USA). The judge, interested to learn more, put the main case on hold and heard a range of expert opinions on reasons for and against reclassifying cannabis. In this article, Professor Madras breaks down her argument.

Read the article here.

In this CBS interview, Kira Rennert speaks with Dr Margaret Haney, director of the Marijuana Research Laboratory at Columbia University, about medical marijuana and what research is currently available to support moves towards legalisation.

Check out the video here.

This paper was authored by our colleagues at the Drug Policy Modelling Program, a part of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre. The paper aims to provide a framework for discussion around regulatory issues relating to medical cannabis, particularly access and supply of medicinal cannabis.

Read the full paper here.

In this article, US surgical oncologist, David Gorski deconstructs the research and studies used to support claims of marijuana’s healing properties for a range of different illnesses. Gorski, who is self-proclaimed pro marijuana legalisation points out the lack of evidence available on medical marijuana and points to the need for further research.

A really interesting, enlightening and seemingly unbiased read for anyone who has been swayed by both sides of the medical cannabis debate.

Read the article here.