Authorities have been urged to tighten controls around prescribing and dispensing medicinal cannabis after health officials noted people are bypassing traditional safeguards to get scripts.

Hospital workers noticed an alarming increase in admissions for cannabis-induced psychosis and cognitive impairment across Australia.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia have written to Health Minister Mark Butler calling for urgent action to tackle the unregulated increase in prescribing and dispensing medicinal cannabis.

The associations raised concerns about the proliferation of prescribing and dispensing clinics operating outside of typical care pathways, such as telehealth services.

The groups highlighted coercive practices used by cannabis companies and

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