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Published: 22 September 2025

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This document addresses three of the TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) 2025 consultation questions:

1. Contraindications for medical cannabis – see Appendix A

2. Claims for medical cannabis not supported by rigorous science - See Appendix B

3. Lack of quality assurance in the production of medicinal cannabis - See Appendix C

 

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Published: 16 September 2025

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Abstract: Cannabis consumption and legalization is increasing globally, raising concerns about its impact on fertility. In humans, we previously demonstrated that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its metabolites reach the ovarian follicle. An extensive body of literature describes THC’s impact on sperm, however no such studies have determined its effects on the oocyte. Herein, we investigate the impact of THC on human female fertility through both a clinical and in vitro analysis. In a case-control study, we show that follicular fluid THC concentration is positively correlated with oocyte maturation and THC-positive patients exhibit significantly lower embryo euploid rates than their matched controls. In vitro, we observe a similar, but non-significant, increased oocyte maturation rate following THC exposure and altered expression of key genes implicated in extracellular matrix remodelling, inflammation, and chromosome segregation. Furthermore, THC induces oocyte chromosome segregation errors and increases abnormal spindle morphology. Finally, this study highlights potential risks associated with cannabis use for female fertility (Research: Cannabis impacts female fertility as evidenced by an in vitro investigation and a case-control study | Nature Communications

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Published: 11 September 2025

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A Groundbreaking Genetic Discovery

As cannabis legalisation spreads globally, its growing acceptance as a recreational and medicinal substance has sparked both enthusiasm and concern. A landmark genetic study has uncovered critical genetic links cannabis disorder, showing how cannabis use disorder (CanUD)—defined by compulsive use despite harmful consequences—shares significant genetic overlap with psychiatric conditions. Unlike casual use, which may pose minimal risks for some, CanUD’s genetic ties cannabis addiction amplify mental health vulnerabilities, challenging perceptions of cannabis as universally safe.

Casual Use vs. Cannabis Use Disorder

Cannabis’s relaxing or therapeutic effects are well-documented, but for some, use escalates into cannabis use disorder, affecting over 16 million people annually in the US alone. The study highlights a clear genetic distinction between occasional use and CanUD. While casual use shows weak associations with psychiatric issues, genetic links cannabis disorder reveal strong connections to disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD), ADHD, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety. This underscores the need to differentiate between responsible use and problematic patterns.

Uncovering Shared Genetic Pathways

Using advanced techniques like global genetic correlation, colocalization, and structural equation modelling, researchers identified specific genetic variants driving genetic ties cannabis addiction. Variants near the CHRNA2 gene, which regulates nicotinic receptors in the brain, were implicated in both CanUD and schizophrenia. These shared pathways suggest that the biological mechanisms behind cannabis addiction may also fuel psychiatric disorders, creating a complex interplay. Other genetic regions linked to addiction-related brain functions further explain why some individuals face heightened risks.

A Bidirectional Risk Cycle

Through Mendelian randomisation—a method using genetic variants to infer causality—the study revealed a troubling two-way relationship. Genetic links cannabis disorder show that CanUD increases risks for schizophrenia, depression, ADHD, and PTSD, while these conditions heighten CanUD likelihood, possibly as self-medication that worsens underlying issues. Casual cannabis use, by contrast, showed minimal causal effects, except for a slight ADHD link, reinforcing that genetic ties cannabis addiction are far more consequential.

Personality Traits and Genetic Susceptibility

Beyond psychiatric disorders, genetic links cannabis disorder extend to personality traits like neuroticism (emotional instability) and low agreeableness (lack of cooperativeness), unlike casual use. Notably, while cannabis use was linked to anorexia nervosa—likely due to appetite stimulation—CanUD showed no such association, suggesting that genetic ties cannabis addiction involve distinct biological mechanisms unrelated to body weight regulation.

Public Health: A Growing Concern

With cannabis legalisation expanding worldwide, these genetic links cannabis disorder demand urgent attention. The dose-dependent risks of CanUD indicate that heavy, prolonged use amplifies genetic vulnerabilities to mental illness, particularly for those with family histories of psychiatric disorders. Public health efforts should focus on education and early intervention to prevent escalation to cannabis addiction, ensuring societal acceptance of cannabis doesn’t overlook its risks.

Shaping Policy and Clinical Practice

Policymakers must balance cannabis’s potential benefits with its risks. The genetic ties cannabis addiction suggest that endorsing cannabis as a blanket treatment for conditions like PTSD or depression may be premature, given CanUD’s potential to exacerbate these disorders. Clinicians should screen for genetic links cannabis disorder in patients with psychiatric symptoms and monitor for compulsive cannabis use in those with mental health diagnoses, disrupting the harmful cycle between CanUD and mental illness.

Towards Personalised Prevention

The discovery of genetic links cannabis disorder paves the way for personalised medicine. Genetic screening could identify individuals at higher risk for CanUD, enabling targeted counselling to prevent heavy use. Therapies targeting shared genetic pathways, such as those involving nicotinic receptors, could address both cannabis addiction and co-occurring mental health issues, offering a dual-treatment approach.

A Call for Informed Choices

This study doesn’t condemn cannabis outright but highlights the dangers of genetic ties cannabis addiction. Responsible use may carry low risks for many, but progression to CanUD can unleash a cascade of genetic vulnerabilities, worsening mental health. As cannabis use rises globally, public education must promote informed decision-making and vigilance against compulsive patterns to safeguard wellbeing.

(Source: Neuroscience News.com)

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Published: 11 September 2025

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The spectacular collapse of the cannabis industry serves as a stark vindication for prevention advocates who warned against the normalisation of marijuana use. What proponents once promised would be a responsible, regulated market has devolved into a cautionary tale of corporate greed, public health risks, and broken societal promises.

The Cannabis Market Collapse Unfolds

The cannabis market collapse has been more dramatic than even the most pessimistic prevention experts predicted. Four major cannabis corporations – Curaleaf, Green Thumb Industries, Tilray Brands, and Trulieve Cannabis – have seen their combined valuation plummet from $37 billion in February 2021 to just $4 billion today, representing a devastating 89% decline.

This cannabis industry downturn exposes the hollow promises made by marijuana advocates who claimed legalisation would create a mature, responsible industry. Instead, the sector has become characterised by oversupply, price wars, and mounting concerns about youth accessibility and addiction.

Oversupply Creates Dangerous Market Dynamics

The rapid proliferation of cannabis outlets has created precisely the scenario prevention organisations warned against. New York’s explosion from zero to 300 registered dispensaries since 2021 demonstrates how quickly marijuana availability can spiral beyond reasonable control.

This oversaturation has driven prices down by 32% across the United States, making cannabis increasingly accessible to vulnerable populations, including young people. The cannabis market collapse has ironically made the drug more affordable and widespread than prohibition advocates feared.

Youth Protection Failures Mount

Thailand’s recent decision to reverse cannabis legalisation highlights growing international concern about youth addiction – a primary concern raised by prevention advocates from the beginning. The country’s policy reversal came specifically in response to rising addiction rates amongst younger users, validating longstanding warnings about marijuana’s gateway potential.

This cannabis industry downturn coincides with mounting evidence of cannabis-related harms that industry proponents systematically downplayed during the legalisation push. Prevention experts who warned about normalisation effects are finding their concerns increasingly validated by real-world evidence.

Political Reality Contradicts Industry Promises

The stalling of cannabis expansion across the United States reflects growing political recognition of the policy’s failures. Not a single state has legalised recreational marijuana in 2024 or 2025, suggesting lawmakers are heeding prevention advocates’ warnings about societal costs.

President Trump’s administration appears unlikely to pursue federal cannabis reform, whilst the Drug Enforcement Administration has stalled its review of marijuana’s scheduling. This political hesitation suggests growing awareness that legalisation promises have not materialised as advertised.

International Backtracking Validates Prevention Stance

The global retreat from cannabis liberalisation vindicates prevention organisations’ warnings about premature policy adoption. Right-leaning governments worldwide are blocking new recreational markets, recognising the social costs that industry advocates failed to acknowledge.

Thailand’s cannabis ban reversal represents a broader international trend of policy reconsideration. Countries that initially embraced liberalisation are confronting the reality that cannabis normalisation creates more problems than proponents admitted.

Financial Collapse Exposes Industry Deception

The cannabis market collapse has revealed the industry’s fundamental dishonesty about its business model. Major companies are posting collective losses with forward revenue multiples barely above 1, proving that sustainable cannabis commerce was always questionable.

Corporate debt burdens and failed expansion plans demonstrate that the industry’s growth projections were fantasy rather than sound business analysis. Prevention advocates who questioned these unrealistic promises have been vindicated by market reality.

German Market Highlights Continued Risks

Industry attempts to pin hopes on Germany’s limited decriminalisation reveal the sector’s desperation following its cannabis industry downturn. However, Germany’s cautious approach – allowing only personal use whilst restricting commercial cultivation – suggests even progressive governments recognise the dangers of full liberalisation.

The German market’s tiny $37 million value underscores how limited genuine demand actually is when separated from speculative investment hype. This reality contradicts industry claims about massive unmet consumer demand that justified policy changes.

Public Health Evidence Accumulates

The cannabis market collapse coincides with growing research documenting marijuana’s health risks, particularly regarding mental health impacts and dependency potential. Studies continue revealing long-term consequences that industry advocates consistently minimised during legalisation campaigns.

Prevention organisations’ warnings about cannabis-related mental health risks are gaining scientific support, whilst industry claims about marijuana’s safety profile face increasing scrutiny. The timing of the market collapse alongside emerging health evidence suggests correlation between policy failures and public health concerns.

Prevention Community Gains Credibility

Drug prevention advocates who opposed cannabis legalisation based on public health concerns now find their positions strengthened by market evidence. The cannabis industry downturn provides tangible proof that marijuana normalisation creates societal costs without delivering promised benefits.

Community-based prevention programmes can point to the industry’s financial failures as evidence that cannabis legalisation was driven more by corporate profit motives than genuine social reform. This market collapse strengthens arguments for evidence-based drug policy focused on prevention rather than commercialisation.

Lessons for Future Policy Debates

The cannabis market collapse offers crucial insights for future substance policy debates. Prevention advocates can demonstrate how industry promises about responsible regulation and economic benefits proved fundamentally false when subjected to market reality.

The spectacular failure of cannabis commercialisation validates prevention-focused approaches that prioritise community health over corporate profits. Policymakers considering other substance liberalisation policies should examine how cannabis industry promises failed to materialise.

Strengthening Prevention Messaging

The cannabis industry downturn provides prevention organisations with powerful evidence about the dangers of drug normalisation. The sector’s collapse demonstrates that substance commercialisation creates market dynamics incompatible with public health priorities.

Prevention educators can use the cannabis market collapse to illustrate how corporate interests in substance markets inevitably conflict with community wellbeing. The industry’s financial failures prove that sustainable drug commerce requires exploitation of vulnerable populations.

The spectacular cannabis market collapse serves as a vindication of prevention advocates’ longstanding warnings about marijuana commercialisation. As the industry’s promises crumble alongside its valuations, the wisdom of prevention-focused drug policy becomes increasingly apparent. (Source: Reuters)