3. The Medication that Finally Made Sense

The Medication That Finally Made Sense ADHD, Anxiety, Insomnia — and Those Who Are Quietly Prescribed Over one million medicinal cannabis approvals have been issued in Australia since 2016. The most common reason? Chronic pain. The second most common? Anxiety. And behind those numbers is a demographic that doesn't get talked about nearly enough — employed, educated, high-achieving folk in their 20s, 30s and 40s, quietly holding prescriptions that most people in their lives don't know about. In this episode, we get into the data. Not the headlines — the actual research. We look at what Australian studies say about medicinal cannabis for anxiety, ADHD and insomnia, why the evidence picture is more nuanced than the 2026 meta-analysis suggests, and what over 2,300 real Australian patients reported about their outcomes over 12 months. We also talk about opioids. Because the most common reason Australians are prescribed medicinal cannabis is chronic pain — the same condition where opioid dependence is estimated at 10% and misuse at 24%. Those two facts exist in the same conversation, and we think they're worth saying out loud. This is the episode for the person who does their research. You're welcome. — References & further reading: Australian prescribing data • TGA medicinal cannabis approvals hub: tga.gov.au/resources/explore-topic/medicinal-cannabis-hub • AIHW — Medical cannabis in the NDSHS (2024): aihw.gov.au/reports/medicines/medical-marijuana-cannabis • Cairns EA et al. (2023). Medicinal cannabis for psychiatry-related conditions: an overview of current Australian prescribing. Frontiers in Pharmacology. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1142680 (free via PMC) • Mills L et al. (2024). Medical cannabis use in Australia seven years after legalisation: CAMS-22. Harm Reduction Journal. doi: 10.1186/s12954-024-00992-1 (free via PMC) • ADHD prescribing data: PBS/PubMed — 'Expanded access to publicly subsidised lisdexamfetamine' (2023) Anxiety & the evidence debate • QUEST Initiative 3-month results (2,327 patients, six Australian states): PMC10482296 • QUEST Initiative 12-month follow-up (anxiety effect size d=0.69 maintained): PMC11964238 • 2025 systematic review — 57 studies, 70% of highest-quality research reported positive outcomes for GAD, social anxiety and PTSD: PubMed 40413923 • 2026 University of Sydney meta-analysis — 54 RCTs, cannabis no more effective than placebo for anxiety: The Conversation, March 2026 (search: 'does medicinal cannabis work depression anxiety PTSD') • RCT evidence for CBD — 300–600mg doses showed positive responses for anxiety and social anxiety disorder across multiple controlled trials Opioids & chronic pain • TGA — Addressing Prescription Opioid Use and Misuse in Australia: tga.gov.au • AIHW — Pharmaceutical drugs, ATOD report (updated 2025): aihw.gov.au • Penington Institute — Australia's Annual Overdose Report 2024: penington.org.au • PBS dispensing data: pbs.gov.au • Vowels et al. (2015) — Rates of opioid misuse, abuse and addiction in chronic pain. PAIN journal. doi: 10.1097/01.j.pain.0000460357.01998.f1 • Pain Australia: painaustralia.org.au Support & resources • ADHD Australia: adhdaustralia.org.au • Beyond Blue: beyondblue.org.au • TGA consumer hub: tga.gov.au This episode does not constitute medical advice. All content reflects the host's personal experience and general education only. Please speak with your GP or a qualified healthcare professional regarding your own health decisions.