All that glitters is not gold - Australia
The problems associated with a significant
exaggeration of the medicinal properties of hemp pharmacological preparations
are inherent not only in the countries that are part of the British
Commonwealth of Nations. In fact, this situation is traditional for the global
hemp market.
On the pages of the specialized electronic edition of
national cannabis growers, the question has already been raised that, in the
pursuit of profit, pharmacological companies that manufacture drugs from hemp
raw materials are misleading patients. Emphasis was placed on " All that glitters is not gold " in relation to the US
market for CBD products. In Australia, the situation due to the deception of
patients about the therapeutic effects of pharmacological preparations based on
the therapeutic properties of cannabis is similar.
The Australian government's medical authority imposed a
combined fine of nearly A$1 million on medical cannabis companies. These
companies made fraudulent claims about the effectiveness of their prescription
products in treating critical illnesses, including cancer and epilepsy.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has fined
medical cannabis businesses MGC Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Cannatrek Ltd and Little
Green Pharma Ltd a total of A$972,360 for 73 violations. The subject of
violations was the illegal promotion of pharmacological preparations made on
the basis of medical cannabis on websites and social networks.
The TGA alleges that the companies have illegally
advertised prescription-only hemp-derived drugs, including claims on their
websites that the products can treat life-threatening diseases such as cancer
and epilepsy.
In particular, the ads of the companies listed above
directly or indirectly indicated or implied that medicinal products made from
medical cannabis were recommended or approved by a government agency, the TGA
said in a statement.
Because Australians with serious illnesses or conditions
are a particularly vulnerable consumer group, the use of serious illness or
condition claims in marketing is prohibited without specific permission from
the TGA. To protect consumers from misleading or fraudulent claims and to
ensure that medical advice only comes from qualified experts who have seen the
patient and are familiar with the patient's medical history, it is illegal in
Australia to sell prescription drugs to the general public.
The President of the Royal Australian College of General
Practitioners, Associate Professor Karen Price, said that medical cannabis is
sometimes recommended as a “drug of last resort for certain conditions. The
quality of the evidence varies depending on the medical problem, and in some
cases it is inconclusive or insufficient to demonstrate any benefit to
patients.”
Commentary of the specialists of the
Association “Ukrainian Industrial Hemp”
MGC Pharmaceuticals Ltd (MGC) said it had been served with
23 infringement notices amounting to A$306,960 for violating therapeutic
product advertising laws. The fine is based on MGC violating therapeutic
product advertising laws by promoting pharmaceuticals made from hemp raw
materials on its website and social media. Shares in the Australian medical
cannabis company fell 6.9% immediately after the news. MGC management has
stated that it is ready to cooperate fully with the TGA to resolve the issues
that have arisen. This includes deleting all messages of concern from her
social media channels and putting the company's website under maintenance.
The problems associated with a significant exaggeration of the medicinal properties of hemp pharmacological preparations are inherent not only in the countries that are part of the British Commonwealth of Nations. In fact, this situation is traditional for the global hemp market. This issue will be substantively considered during the next training course for students of the “ Cannabis University ”, as part of a specialized round table dedicated to the possibilities of using the therapeutic properties of cannabis.
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