The Australian Medical Association’s Dr Danielle McMullen has expressed her concerns that telehealth has become vulnerable to exploitation — particularly in relation to medical cannabis prescribing.

Dr. McMullen’s comments come after the AMA published its submission to Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration’s (TGA’s) review into unapproved medicinal cannabis products earlier this month.

Dr. McMullen says telehealth services provided a valuable access point for healthcare generally during the COVID pandemic, and has become a permanent fixture since. But the rise of single-issue telehealth providers is bypassing general practitioners and specialists, and the prescribing practices of some are putting patient safety at risk.

“We must act now to protect patients and restore trust,” Dr. McMullen wrote on LinkedIn. “This means closing regulatory gaps, requiring medicinal cannabis manufacturers to demonstrate efficacy and safety, and ensuring all telehealth services — including those involving medicinal cannabis — are held to the same clinical and ethical standards as traditional care.”

The AMA President said there has been a rise in hospital emergency department cases linked to high-THC medicinal cannabis products, including cases of psychosis and problematic substance dependence.

The Penington Institute, which has a focus on minimising serious harms from legal and illicit drugs sees things differently.

In its submission, the Institute supported patient access to medicinal cannabis through a safe, affordable, and reliable medical framework, and urged the TGA to keep a balanced and evidence-based approach.

The Penington Institute says there is little evidence current access has led to an increase in health harms, and changes impacting access could push patients towards the  unregulated, illicit market.

However, according to this ABC report, there were 615 adverse event reports made to the TGA involving unregistered medicinal cannabis products between July 1, 2022 and June 1, 2025. Adverse events can be anything from mild to serious. The 5 most commonly reported events were anxiety (76), headache (65), nausea (57), cough (55) and psychotic disorder (54).

The TGA reportedly authorised at least 979,000 prescription applications for medicinal cannabis in 2024 alone through its specialised access pathways.

It’s not clear yet when the TGA may deliver its initial findings/recommendations concerning medical cannabis reform, but it has committed to further consultation with stakeholders regarding any proposed changes.