Understanding Patient Demographics, Prescriber Pathways & the Future of Medicinal Cannabis

In our third and latest installment of the Market Insight series exploring the Australian medicinal cannabis industry, we take a deep dive into understanding patient demographics — the most important stakeholder within the market

As the medicinal cannabis sector continues to grow, the increasing importance of knowing the patient and how (and why) they access medicinal cannabis therapy cannot be overstated for businesses, clinics, and prescribers operating in or entering this space. With over a million Australians accessing medicinal cannabis through legal pathways by 2024, the patient landscape has become increasingly diverse and dynamic.

Changing Patient Demographics

The modern Australian medicinal cannabis patient no longer fits into a single category. While many individuals seek cannabis-based therapies for complex, treatment-resistant conditions, the patient base is expanding to include a broader spectrum of:

Medically-focused patients exploring cannabis as a complementary or alternative treatment for chronic symptoms, anxiety, sleep disruption, or pain.
Cannabis experienced patients transitioning into regulated pathways, seeking safe, clinical oversight for medicinal cannabis therapy.

This evolving patient population includes adults of all ages, with a growing number of older Australians turning to medicinal cannabis to manage chronic pain, insomnia, and degenerative conditions. Urban areas currently dominate prescription volumes; however, demand is increasing in regional and rural locations, where accessibility, education and practitioner shortages pose ongoing challenges.

According to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), over 1.2 million applications for medicinal cannabis access under SAS-B have been approved since 2016, with annual volumes continuing to grow.

Prescriber Types and Access Pathways

Access to medicinal cannabis products in Australia is facilitated through a range of authorised healthcare providers, including:

General Practitioners (GPs): Primary care doctors who manage general health management and provide referrals.
Specialists: Experts in specific medical fields and conditions, seen by patients to treat specific health concerns.
Integrative GPs: General practitioners who specialise in integrative and alternative care, taking a holistic approach to healthcare and looking to treat the root cause of health conditions.
Nurse Practitioners (NPs): Registered nurses who have completed advanced education and clinical training who assess, diagnose and prescribers.
Authorised Prescribers (APs): Approved to prescribe specific restricted medicines including medicinal cannabis.

Each of these prescriber types operates within one of two main regulatory frameworks, as it relates to medicinal cannabis therapy:

Special Access Scheme – Category B (SAS-B)

The most common route, SAS-B allows prescribers who are not Authorised Prescribers to submit individual applications to the TGA for unapproved medicinal cannabis products. This includes GPs, specialists, and nurse practitioners. A widely used pathway that requires detailed clinical justification and can be time-intensive.

Authorised Prescriber (AP) Scheme

The AP pathway enables eligible medical practitioners to prescribe specific unapproved cannabis medicines to defined patient groups without individual TGA approval per script. To become an AP, medical practitioners must demonstrate clinical justification and obtain ethics committee approval or specialist college endorsement. Despite the efficiency of this model, uptake remains moderate due to perceived complexity, education limitations and administrative hurdles.

Upcoming Prescribing Pathways for Registered Nurses

While not active at the time of publishing, and poised to be in effect as of September 2025 in a move outlined by AHPRA and the NMBA, registered nurses may be able to gain authority to prescribe Schedule 2, 3, 4, and even Schedule 8 medicines under a formal prescribing agreement with an authorised prescriber.

Patient Experience

Despite improvements in access, patient feedback reveals a number of friction points in their journey:

Limited prescriber knowledge or support, especially among general practitioners unfamiliar with cannabis therapy and application.

Product inconsistencies, with issues around supply, pharmacy stocking, and formulation changes leading to continual script adjustments and amendments to patient treatment.
Information barriers, due to TGA restrictions on direct-to-consumer advertising for cannabis brands and education around medicinal cannabis being viewed by the TGA as advertising when published by stakeholders, including brands and clinics whose customers include patients.

A recent study by the University of Sydney's Lambert Initiative found that while most patients reported therapeutic benefit, many were dissatisfied with the access process and lack of clarity from prescribers.

For clinics and businesses looking to improve patient access and experience, it is imperative to seek patient feedback where possible and permissible under TGA guidelines. This may include requesting reviews of clinic services, or reading existing reviews to identify areas for improvement.

While brands are prohibited from engaging directly with patients in forums, they can monitor relevant online communities such as Reddit’s r/MedicalCannabisOz and r/MedicinalCannabisAUS for unfiltered consumer insights. However, as these communities are not overseen by the TGA, any interpretation of feedback should be approached cautiously, and active participation or promotion by brands is not permitted.

What’s Next?

With alternative pathways and prescriber models on the horizon, the medicinal cannabis ecosystem will continue to evolve. For stakeholders across the sector, staying aligned with education, ethics, and regulation will be key to delivering better outcomes for patients and providers alike.titioners.

Learn More

EQWELLIBRIYUM offers end-to-end consulting for organisations navigating the medicinal cannabis market in Australia. With strategic insights and operational frameworks are designed to help you thrive, we’re here to help you. Learn more by contacting us today at hello@eqwellibriyum.com.

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Reference List

¹ Medical Board of Australia. (2024). Regulators come together as one million Australians turn to medicinal cannabis

² British Journal of Pain. (2022). Medicinal Cannabis for Australian patients with refractory pain including arthritis.

³ Therapeutic Goods Administration. (2025). Medicinal cannabis: access pathways and usage data

⁴ Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. (2025). Exploring access to medicinal cannabis through general practitioners in Australia

⁵ Nursing and Midwifery Board. (2025). Endorsement for scheduled medicines designated RN prescriber

Market Insights — Patient Access and Demographics