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.

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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

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This episode does not constitute medical advice. Medicinal cannabis is a Schedule 4 and Schedule 8 prescription medication in Australia. 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.

The Permission Slip

You've done the research. You've read the studies. You've had the 11pm spiral. You might even have written a pros and cons list.

And still — there's a voice that says: that's not for someone like you. You're managing. You're fine.

This is the episode about that voice.

In this episode, host Sarah shares her own story — the years of managing brilliantly on the outside, the treatments that sort of worked, and the moment she realised that functioning at significant personal cost is not the same thing as being well.

This isn't a guide to getting a prescription. It's something quieter than that: permission to decide you're allowed to want better. Permission to take up space in a doctor's appointment. Permission to ask the question you've been googling at midnight and not saying out loud.

We also walk through how medicinal cannabis access actually works in Australia — the TGA pathways, what a GP conversation can realistically look like, and what to say if you want to open that door.

Highly Functional. For the quietly prescribed, professionally exhausted, and chronically curious.

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This episode contains personal lived experience only and does not constitute medical advice. Medicinal cannabis is a prescription medication in Australia. Please speak with your GP or a qualified healthcare professional regarding your own health.

Welcome to Highly Functional — the podcast for the quietly prescribed, professionally exhausted, and chronically curious.

This is the trailer. Less than Five minutes. Who this show is for, why it exists, and what I actually mean when I say I'm fine.

Hosted by a TGA-approved medicinal cannabis patient in Australia. Real conversations about a legal, prescribed medication — and the people who hold those prescriptions quietly, competently, and without nearly enough community around them.

Not medical advice. Always consult your GP.