Background and objectives
Patient access to medicinal cannabis (MC) is impacted by several factors, despite legalisation of it for medicinal and related scientific purposes in 2016. This scoping review aimed to examine the barriers and enablers to accessing MC through general practitioners (GPs) in Australia.
Methods
Scientific and grey literature meeting inclusion criteria were identified from 2016 to 2023, resulting in 11 papers and 40 webpages being included in this review.
Results
Many GPs reported inadequate knowledge surrounding MC, forming a barrier to their approachability to discussion with patients. Living rurally and earning less money were barriers to patients’ ability to seek MC. Telehealth cannabis clinics lessened geographical barriers, but not financial barriers.
Discussion
Although stigma and demographic access barriers to MC are decreasing with cultural, industry and healthcare system shifts, inequitable access is still occurring due to the economic burden on patients. GPs reported having difficulties in navigating the prescribing process and accessing the most up-to-date evidence for clinical use due to time scarcity.