The 2018 CAMS survey found 2.5 percent of respondents had accessed a legal prescription. In 2022, it’s 37% – but price remains an issue.
A new survey has shown a dramatic increase in the percentage of Australians accessing prescription cannabis for medicinal use.
The Cannabis as Medicine Survey (CAMS20) is now in its third iteration, following CAMS16 (2016) and CAMS18 (2018). Conducted by the University of Sydney’s Lambert Initiative, the survey included 1,600 people who were using medical cannabis between September 2020 and January 2021.
While the study indicated many Australians are still medicating with illicit cannabis, it also found 37 percent of respondents had accessed a legal prescription – a huge leap from 2018, when only 2.5 percent of respondents had accessed their medicinal cannabis legally.
The survey also found that those accessing a prescription were more likely to be older, female and less likely to be employed.
The reactions to medicinal cannabis were overwhelmingly positive with 95% of respondents acknowledging improvements to their health.
“The data suggests we have seen a transition from illicit to legal use of medical cannabis,” said lead researcher Professor Nicholas Lintzeris, from the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney. Full Story