That’s what’s on offer from Stanley Brothers, a Colorado-based company that says it has made more than $1.5 million in medicinal cannabis sales since entering the Australian market in January.Monique Westermann
A Dolphins player last month whose jersey was taped over to block the Alternaleaf logo. The logo has since been removed entirely.A crop of entrepreneurs with backgrounds in sectors including medicine, law, real estate, gambling and crypto have capitalised on this boom, setting up dedicated “cannabis clinics” that both prescribe and sell medicinal cannabis products.
So far, the TGA has approved only two cannabis products – one to treat muscle rigidity caused by multiple sclerosis and another to alleviate rare forms of childhood epilepsy. “It is an unapproved therapeutic that has had an extraordinary rate of prescribing,” says Dr Christine Hallinan, a research fellow at the University of Melbourne.
“We get it bro,” one ad said to potential customers who might be feeling their age. “Hey, we’re all going to the same place, why not enjoy the time you have here.” Teh said PlantMed spends nothing on social media marketing and fully complies with TGA rules, which disadvantages the business compared with companies that have large advertising budgets and a willingness to push boundaries.
The legal complaint, which did not mention the NRL sponsorship, alleged that parts of Alternaleaf’s website, videos of patient testimonials, social media posts and a light projection the company installed in the Sydney CBD breached advertising laws. He remains an investor in the business, which has also raised more than $5 million in crowd-sourced funds.
The rise of single-product telehealth clinics is not unique to cannabis – others have sprung up around the weight loss drug Ozempic and nicotine vapes. But they are a departure from the standard model, in which doctors prescribe and pharmacists dispense. But Alternaleaf’s spokeswoman, Kelly King, said in a statement there was no conflict of interest in a business prescribing a product it also sold.
“We’ve got a few new flowers out,” the manager wrote, offering two tubs of free cannabis and a GP appointment to obtain a prescription, in exchange for reviews on social media platforms such as Reddit, TikTok and Instagram.