Question 1

Can patient drive or operate machinery?

Accepted Answer

Please note that the current national legislation is that it’s illegal to have THC in your body whilst driving or operating machinery, regardless of impairment levels. LGP Pure CBD 200 is the only product in our range which has undetectable amounts of THC according to independent laboratory testing.

As a medical practitioner you are able to prescribe any medicinal cannabis product, however if it contains THC, you should advise your patient to not drive or operate machinery whilst taking this medication. You can contact LGP for a patient consent form.

Question 2

What about drug testing in the workplace?

Accepted Answer

A patient can check with their individual workplace to see if holding a current prescription for medicinal cannabis means they are able to have CBD and/ or THC in their system. If no THC is allowed, then LGP Pure CBD 200 should be considered.

Question 3

What is a common starting point for patients suffering from pain?

Accepted Answer

If the patient suffers from chronic pain, a common starting point is a balanced product such as LGP Classic 10:10. However, if the patient is unable to take THC due to above reasons then LGP Classic CBD 50 or LGP Pure CBD 200 are common starting points for many patients.

Question 4

Has the patient tried illicit cannabis before?

Accepted Answer

If a patient advises you that they have been smoking or vaping illegally-sourced cannabis flower, then it is likely this product contains high amounts of THC. If the patient has been getting therapeutic effect from this product then you can consider prescribing a medical cannabis product with THC.

Some patients may advise they have been using CBD only products and seeing positive results. 
Please note that illegal ‘CBD only’ products advertise they have no THC, but a recent study found 94% in fact contained detectable THC, and 75% contained almost no CBD at all. If a patient compares a pharmaceutical grade CBD-only medicine with an illicit product it will likely be very different due to the controlled content of active ingredient/s in the pharmaceutical product.*

*THC in CBD products: Gibbs H, Yates, A and Liebling J. Centre for Medicinal Cannabis. CBD in the UK, Executive Summary. June 2019. https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/51b75a3b/files/up-loaded/Report%20%7C%20CBD%20in%20the%20UK%20-%20Exec%20Summary.pdf (accessed 29 March 2021).

Question 5

How much medicinal cannabis should be prescribed?

Accepted Answer

This depends on the product prescribed, the patient’s condition and their response to cannabis medicines. An average patient taking LGP Classic 10:10 for chronic pain takes 1-1.5mL per day, meaning a 50mL bottle costing $150 lasts around 4-6 weeks.

Question 6

How much does it cost?

Accepted Answer

The patient will need to consider your consult fees and required monitoring as part of the prescribing process.

Using the same example above a patient taking 1-1.5mL per day would pay between $3.00 - $4.50 (per day) which equates to between $90 - $135 per month. However, dosing will vary between patients.

Question 7

Can the patient buy CBD-only medicine OTC?

Accepted Answer

In February 2021 The TGA down-scheduled certain low-dose cannabidiol (CBD) preparations from Schedule 4 to Schedule 3. However, there are currently NO approved CBD products that meet the criteria to be sold over the counter. Therefore, patients can only access CBD via their prescriber who will use the TGA Special Access or Authorised Prescriber Scheme.

Question 8

Do I need to be an Authorised Prescriber to prescribe medicinal cannabis?

Accepted Answer

No, you don’t need to be an Authorised Prescriber.  There are a number of access pathways, including the Authorised Prescriber Pathway (approval for a group of patients). The most common application pathway is via TGA SAS B applications (approval per patient). Ask our Medical Team for more information about the TGA application pathways.

Question 9

Why choose Little Green Pharma?

Accepted Answer

At Little Green Pharma the patient is at the centre of everything we do! From our compassionate access scheme offering free or discounted product (at 50%), to our concession program, product pricing and clinical research programs, which offer subsidised products. We are here to make it easier for you to help your patients!

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions