FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 11 August 2025
The Patients, a united movement of researchers, healthcare practitioners, industry advocates, and patients with lived experience, today launched a nationwide campaign to ensure medicinal cannabis users have a decisive voice during the upcoming Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) consultation and amidst intensifying regulatory scrutiny from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
This brand-neutral campaign provides practical tools including downloadable letters and tailored surveys. These resources are designed for industry leaders to share with their networks, encouraging patients and prescribers to engage directly with regulators and policymakers.
Kirsten Gassman, Medical Education Specialist:
"This campaign is exactly the kind of brand-neutral collaboration the medicinal cannabis sector needs. It’s focused on reflecting lived realities back to policymakers, not ignorance or fear. Now is our moment to act together."
Dr Janet Schloss, Clinical Researcher:
"Medicinal cannabis patients deserve a seat at the table. These surveys are designed to amplify patient voices to provide regulators with the real-world insights needed to protect patients and support healthcare practitioners."
Donielle Paul, Healthcare Advocate, added:
"Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Now is the time to come together and empower our patient networks, so the voices of those who rely on medicinal cannabis to live with dignity, comfort, and hope are heard where it matters most."
Dr Alistair Frame, Medical Practitioner, emphasised:
"Meaningful progress demands honest dialogue between patients, clinicians, and regulators. This campaign builds that bridge, so regulators can be confident in the foundations of safe and compassionate access."
In the wake of the AHPRA crackdown on prescribers and the upcoming TGA consultation, The Patients campaign calls for urgent acknowledgment of patients to preserve Australia’s medical cannabis system amidst proposals for adult-use legalisation that fail to offer meaningful protections.
No jurisdiction worldwide has successfully protected its medical market while opening retail recreational access. We are calling for a creative next step that truly centres patients, no current proposal from any party sufficiently prioritises patient needs.
Callout to Industry Leaders to Do
Industry leaders, healthcare professionals, advocacy groups, and patient networks are encouraged to visit ThePatients.au and sign up to receive timely updates and resources.
By joining the campaign mailing list, they will gain access to ready-to-use letters, survey links, and communication tools designed to support a coordinated, unified response during the TGA consultation and AHPRA crackdown.
This collective effort ensures that the voices of patients and prescribers reach decision-makers effectively, amplifying impact and protecting access to medicinal cannabis across Australia.
The TGA consultation, opening 11 August 2025, is a pivotal moment for the future of medicinal cannabis in Australia.