Advanced Strategies: Pain Management with Medicinal Cannabis

This advanced workshop is designed for healthcare practitioners who are looking to deepen their expertise in managing chronic and acute pain using medicinal cannabis. With chronic pain accounting for approximately 50% of Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) SAS-B applications for medicinal cannabis, the demand for alternative therapies is rising, especially as healthcare professionals seek safer, more sustainable alternatives to opioids. Chronic pain affects 1 in 5 Australians, and traditional treatments like opioids are associated with significant risks, including dependence and overdose. Medicinal cannabis presents a potential solution, but understanding its proper use and dosing strategies is essential for effective pain relief.

Despite the growing number of medicinal cannabis prescriptions, the Faculty of Pain Medicine highlights the need for more clinical evidence to fully support its use for chronic, non-cancer pain. Their position emphasises that the current body of research is still developing, and more robust clinical trials are necessary before medicinal cannabis becomes a widespread treatment for chronic pain.

This workshop addresses these challenges by exploring advanced dosing strategies and real-life patient management approaches. Participants will gain insights from clinical cases, refine their ability to tailor treatment plans, and understand how to integrate medicinal cannabis into broader pain management frameworks. Attendees will leave with enhanced skills and a deeper knowledge base to navigate this evolving treatment landscape while staying informed of the latest evidence and guidelines.