Two establishments in Logan are becoming the forerunners in expanding medicinal cannabis use in Queensland, with Medcan Australia opening 50 new jobs to meet growing demand and Pharmaceutical Rehabilitation Services now providing medicinal cannabis therapy.
MedCan Australia Mass Hiring
Medcan Australia, which obtained licence to cultivate and produce medicinal cannabis in 2017, has been mass hiring doctors, nurses, biologists, health administrators, agriculturalists, general administration staff, and distribution specialists following the approval of more medicinal cannabis products by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in October 2021.
The move is projected to double the number of products to be released this year and has been seen as a positive sign to remove the stigma around medical cannabis use. Around 400 General Practitioners are legally prescribing medical cannabis to treat chronic pain, epilepsy, anxiety, among a number of other ailments.
Medcan Australia has also partnered with a network of doctors for its initiative, Cann I Help, for telehealth and in-person consultations. The service also provides medicinal cannabis subsidy schemes for qualified patients since the drugs are not covered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
Pharmaceutical Rehabilitation Services Expansion
Meanwhile, Pharmaceutical Rehabilitation Services (PRS) in Beenleigh, which specialises in the holistic care and mental health treatment of drug dependents, has expanded to include medicinal cannabis therapy with more than 50 clients now taking full advantage of the service following its launch in February.
According to Dr Guy Wright, Logan patients used to travel to Brisbane or Gold Coast for their medicinal cannabis therapy but they may now conveniently visit the clinic on City Road, which also dispenses the cannabis drugs on the spot.
“If you have had a condition such as arthritis, anxiety or chronic pain, you may be eligible for special access approval to use medicinal cannabis as a treatment,” PRS stated.
“Applying for treatment is easy – all we need is a copy of your medical records. If standard treatments have not worked after three months, TGA approval usually takes less than 2 days.”
Amidst its expansion, PRS has attracted a number of complaints from other businesses and local school operators within the area. They have been asking the business to relocate after some commotion with patients rejected by the clinic.