Terminally ill people in rural Australia have fewer options when it comes to symptom relief. Could medicinal cannabis be the answer?
A new Mater medical trial will offer palliative care patients in rural and regional Queensland access to medicinal cannabis.
Mater director of palliative care and cancer services Phillip Good said patients experienced a range of distressing and hard-to-manage symptoms.
Those living in rural and regional areas have fewer options for generalist and specialist healthcare services.
Professor Good said Mater had been studying medicinal cannabis in palliative care patients with advanced cancer since 2018.
The first trial of a CBD oil formulation found the product was safe for patients but no more effective than a placebo.
He said more research was needed using different formulations before a product could be registered and accessed affordably.