The Department of Veteran’s Affairs will no longer fund new cannabis prescriptions where there has been no face-to-face appointment.
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ promised crackdown on fly-by-night operators has begun, with a new framework set to pull funding for new clients getting cannabis prescriptions via telehealth.
The updated guidance, which came into effect on Monday night, only applies to the Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme managed by the DVA.
Since 2018, it has funded medicinal cannabis prescriptions for defence force veterans living with chronic pain, chemotherapy-induced nausea and a handful of other conditions.
Technically, this is not changing; the DVA will still subsidise medicinal cannabis products for eligible veterans with those indications.
What is changing, though, is the type of provider that the DVA will accept a prescription from, the type of product funded through the scheme and the existing relationship requirements for providers.
For a start, the DVA will now only accept medicinal cannabis applications and prescriptions from a doctor with specialist AHPRA registration. Fellowed GPs are technically counted under AHPRA’s specialist banner, but registrars and non-vocationally registered GPs are not.
The department is also restricting its funding to dried herb cannabis products for vaping products, and capsules or liquid products for oral cannabis products.
Pastilles and gummies will no longer be funded, and neither will dried herb products containing a THC concentration higher than 25%.
Arguably the biggest change, though, is that the DVA will now only fund cannabis treatment for new clients if they have met face-to-face with the prescribing clinician for an initial consultation.
“… This helps to ensure that the provider/patient relationship is strong and a complete and thorough clinical assessment, including outlining the contraindications of medicinal cannabis, has been clearly communicated,” the DVA frequently asked questions page said.
“For the same reasons, consultations must also be in-person when there are changes in prescription that increase the total dose of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) above 40mg or increase the prescription to more than 2 products at a time or when changing to a new prescriber.”
The department cited “increasing public and professional concern” about the safety risks of unapproved medicinal cannabis products as the rationale for the overhaul.
“DVA has also become aware of concerning prescribing practices which are placing veterans at harm, prioritising profits over patient wellbeing,” it said.
Reports of online-only telehealth cannabis companies targeting veterans via social media have been circulating since late 2024.
The Medical Republic understands that some veterans have received targeted advertising for “free” phone consults and have been mailed high-potency THC products after an online or telephone consult.
Related
“An outcome will certainly be that veterans will no longer get a lot of those products that they are currently using (as they may find it difficult to find specialist doctors willing to agree to prescribe the same products and doses that they have currently been receiving) so will either go off them or pay privately,” rural GP and defence force veteran Associate Professor Michael Clements told TMR.
Veterans who have had a DVA-funded RPBS medicinal cannabis prescription dispensed before 15 February will have until 31 August to work with their doctors and make any necessary changes to comply with the new rules.
DVA clients who have received a prescription prior to 15 February under the old guidelines but have not yet had it dispensed are less lucky.
These patients will likely have to return to their prescribing doctor for a script that complies with the new guidelines.
