How to get your hands on medicinal cannabis in Australia. Picture Getty
Health & Biotech
Sufferers of chronic pain and insomnia have the most to benefit from consuming marijuana, according to new research published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) last week.
The research shows “significant improvements” in quality of life for people with those conditions, with the positive effects being “largely sustained” over time.
The analysis was conducted in 3,148 people in Australia, who were prescribed medical cannabis for treating certain eligible conditions.
Eight wellbeing indicators were tested, with patients being asked to rate their wellness on a scale of 0-100 at different stages of treatment.
The eight categories were general health, bodily pain, physical functioning, role limitations, mental health, emotional role limitations, social functioning and vitality.
Results from the survey overwhelmingly showed that marijuana helped with the conditions of patients, while adverse side effects were “rarely serious”.
“These findings suggest that medical cannabis treatment may be associated with improvements in health-related quality of life among patients with a range of health conditions,” said the researchers in the study.
In 2016, the Australian Federal Government legalised the sale and use of medicinal cannabis, which jump-started the domestic industry.
But its use only exploded in 2019, with around 3% of Aussies reportedly using some form of cannabis to treat chronic pain and mental health issues.
While the TGA regulates access, most medicinal cannabis products in Australia are considered to be unapproved medicines – which means they have not been assessed by the TGA for safety, quality or effectiveness.
If you’re wondering whether medicinal cannabis is right for your condition, the TGA advises that your first step is to have a conversation with your doctor.
There are currently no restrictions imposed by the TGA on the conditions for which a doctor may prescribe cannabis.
But an application to the TGA would have to be made for the prescription, which generally takes around two working days for approval.
For privacy reasons, the TGA does not publish a list of Authorised Prescribers who have been authorised to supply medicinal cannabis products.
Further progress was made in March, when Australia became the first country in the world to recognise psychedelics as medicine after the TGA approved psychedelic substances used in magic mushrooms and MDMA.
From 1 July this year, medicines containing the psychedelic substances psilocybin and MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine) can be prescribed by authorised psychiatrists in Australia for treating certain mental health conditions.
Under the new guidance, the TGA says it will permit the prescribing of MDMA for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and psilocybin for the treatment-resistant depression.
Since that announcement, dozens of clinics with both online and physical locations have sprouted, offering psychedelic-based psychotherapy sessions.
Here’s how the ASX weed stocks have performed, sorted by winners over the past week.
| Code | Company | Price | % Year | % Six Month | % Month | % Week | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | Cann Group Ltd | 0.19 | -42.42 | -17.39 | 18.75 | 18.75 | $65,984,627 |
| LGP | Little Green Pharma | 0.19 | -40.32 | 0.00 | 2.78 | 8.82 | $53,796,569 |
| EPN | Epsilon Healthcare | 0.02 | -48.57 | -30.77 | -5.26 | 5.88 | $5,406,372 |
| ECS | ECS Botanics Holding | 0.02 | -13.64 | -9.52 | -5.00 | 5.56 | $21,027,883 |
| BOT | Botanix Pharma Ltd | 0.09 | 3.66 | 37.10 | -11.46 | 4.94 | $114,894,380 |
| HGV | Hygrovest Limited | 0.06 | -1.64 | -14.29 | 13.21 | 1.69 | $13,797,239 |
| ZLD | Zelira Therapeutics | 0.92 | -22.13 | -9.41 | -11.17 | 0.55 | $10,325,911 |
| CTV | Colortv Limited | 0.01 | -20.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | $1,236,985 |
| RNO | Rhinomed Ltd | 0.08 | -52.24 | -27.27 | -8.05 | 0.00 | $22,857,576 |
| WFL | Wellfully Limited | 0.01 | -85.48 | -55.00 | -18.18 | 0.00 | $4,436,497 |
| EOF | Ecofibre Limited | 0.17 | -55.26 | -38.18 | 0.00 | 0.00 | $62,858,619 |
| LV1 | Live Verdure Ltd | 0.15 | -34.09 | -14.71 | -12.12 | 0.00 | $12,290,063 |
| ROO | Roots Sustainable | 0.01 | -90.00 | -75.00 | -25.00 | 0.00 | $773,540 |
| EXL | Elixinol Wellness | 0.02 | -64.00 | -37.93 | -10.00 | 0.00 | $7,109,226 |
| TSN | The Sust Nutri Grp | 0.01 | -90.71 | -90.71 | -23.53 | 0.00 | $1,829,918 |
| WOA | Wide Open Agricultur | 0.33 | -42.48 | -7.14 | 96.97 | 0.00 | $42,016,576 |
| RGI | Roto-Gro Intl Ltd | 0.22 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | $4,333,920 |
| IRX | Inhalerx Limited | 0.05 | -47.06 | -16.67 | 0.00 | 0.00 | $8,539,513 |
| CPH | Creso Pharma Ltd | 0.02 | -68.63 | -30.43 | 45.45 | 0.00 | $34,192,651 |
| AC8 | Auscann Grp Hlgs Ltd | 0.04 | -34.43 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | $17,621,884 |
| MDC | Medlab Clinical Ltd | 6.60 | -48.84 | -20.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | $15,071,113 |
| IHL | Incannex Healthcare | 0.11 | -76.92 | -60.38 | -8.70 | 0.00 | $158,701,036 |
| IDT | IDT Australia Ltd | 0.08 | -36.92 | -11.83 | 20.59 | 0.00 | $19,986,269 |
| EVE | EVE Health Group Ltd | 0.00 | -20.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | $5,274,483 |
| CGB | Cann Global Limited | 0.02 | -22.22 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | $5,436,345 |
| WNX | Wellnex Life Ltd | 0.06 | -37.89 | -19.18 | -13.24 | 0.00 | $22,754,555 |
| VIT | Vitura Health Ltd | 0.34 | 24.07 | -51.45 | 0.00 | -1.47 | $205,916,866 |
| DTZ | Dotz Nano Ltd | 0.24 | -22.95 | -12.96 | 14.63 | -2.08 | $108,424,057 |
| EMD | Emyria Limited | 0.13 | -54.39 | -31.58 | -21.21 | -3.70 | $41,627,157 |
| NTI | Neurotech Intl | 0.05 | -10.91 | -37.18 | -9.26 | -3.92 | $42,821,565 |
| AGH | Althea Group | 0.05 | -62.40 | -28.79 | -18.97 | -6.00 | $17,580,082 |
| MXC | Mgc Pharmaceuticals | 0.01 | -67.39 | -42.31 | -31.82 | -6.25 | $23,447,851 |
| ALA | Arovella Therapeutic | 0.07 | 80.82 | 175.00 | -16.46 | -8.33 | $51,598,235 |
| BOD | BOD Science Ltd | 0.05 | -65.54 | -48.48 | -17.74 | -10.53 | $7,809,196 |
| AVE | Avecho Biotech Ltd | 0.00 | -75.00 | -55.56 | -20.00 | -11.11 | $8,648,637 |
| SCU | Stemcell United Ltd | 0.00 | -73.42 | -73.42 | -30.00 | -30.00 | $4,496,554 |
Cannabis stock Little Green Pharma has been reappointed as a primary supplier of its 1:20 THC:CBD medicinal cannabis oil to the extended French national medicinal cannabis trial.
The announcement has reaffirmed LGP’s commitment to France, one of the largest EU markets critical to LGP’s EU strategy – giving LGP a first mover advantage in the country.
To date, LGP has supplied its 1:20 THC:CBD and CBD50 oils to patients in the trial, becoming a well-recognised supplier in the French market in the process.
Following the trial’s initial success, the French government has proposed to extend the trial for a third year, until March 2024.
Epsilon surged after announcing that the Medicinal Cannabis Permit issued to its subsidiary, THC Pharma, has been successfully renewed.
In addition, the Australian Office of Drug Control has granted the company increased manufacturing quantities to meet the growing demand.
Epsilon says it has seen a ramp-up in activities, which reflects the changing needs of the industry and client demand.
The company owns a number of medicinal cannabis assets including the largest GMP cannabis manufacturing facility in the Southern Hemisphere (the Southport, Queensland facility).
Creso has continued to advance its footprint across the Asia Pacific region after expanding its product ranging agreement with leading Singaporean pet care distributor, Gotro Global.
The expansion deal will see Creso’s entire Green Goo animal care range stocked online through Gotro’s partner company, Happy Town Pets, a specialist ecommerce platform.
Happy Town Pets has an established client base, and is a significant distribution channel for pet care products in Singapore.
This agreement is expected to increase Creso Pharma’s presence in the growing Singaporean pet care industry, and provide additional exposure for the Green Goo brand outside of the US.
At Stockhead we tell it like it is. While Creso Pharma is a Stockhead advertiser, it did not sponsor this article.
Health & Biotech
Health & Biotech
Health & Biotech
Get the latest Stockhead news delivered free to your inbox.
