Medicinal cannabis products cannot be advertised to Australian consumers — but some suppliers are alleged to be playing fast and loose with the rules.
Share (Image: Adobe) The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has issued fines worth $171,972 to medicinal cannabis supplier Better Leaf Pty Ltd.
The 11 infringement notices include nine totalling $164,460 issued to the company, and two notices totalling $7,512 issued to an individual.
The TGA alleges Better Leaf has contravened the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 , by advertising its products online without the express consent of the TGA.
Advertisements allegedly promoted the use or supply of medicinal cannabis and made references to the treatment of serious diseases or conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and epilepsy, without approval or permission from the TGA.
A TGA spokesperson said medicinal cannabis suppliers need to be conscious of the rules around advertising. Cannabis companies advertising on social media face backlash from drug watchdog
Read More “The TGA reminds businesses that medicinal cannabis products are prescription-only medicines and cannot be advertised to Australian consumers. This includes direct references to medicinal cannabis or indirect references, through abbreviations or acronyms, such as ‘THC’ and ‘CBD’ or the use of colloquialisms such as ‘plant medicine’,” the spokesperson said.
“The TGA, as a priority, is taking strong enforcement action to deter and disrupt unlawful advertising of medicinal cannabis.”
Better Leaf is one of a growing number of cannabis clinics in Australia, offering the same kinds of 360-degree services as Australia’s controversial vertically integrated ADHD clinics . They received widespread publicity for opening Australia’s first physical cannabis dispensary in Melbourne, with a second underway in Sydney.With the number of authorised prescribers climbing rapidly and new entrants into the Australian pharmaceuticals industry, the TGA has turned its attention to ensuring everyone follows the same guidelines as other pharmaceutical companies.The TGA has already thrown the book at a number of medicinal cannabis suppliers for echoing the advertising tactics used by companies in the United States, where advertising prescription medications directly to consumers is legal.Over the past two years, the TGA has issued 119 infringement notices totalling over $1.4 million in response to alleged unlawful advertising […]
Therapeutic Goods Administration fines another medicinal cannabis supplier
