Research and recognition
Medicinal cannabis prescribing: new Australian case series
Dr Eric Hadinata coauthored an Australian case series on potential harms from medicinal cannabis prescribing in people with mental health and addiction risks.
Dr Eric Hadinata is a coauthor of Potential iatrogenic harms from medicinal cannabis prescribing in Australia: a case series, published in the September 2026 issue of Drug and Alcohol Review. The paper was first published online on 31/08/2026.
What the paper examines
The report describes three young men with psychiatric disorders and substance use vulnerabilities who were prescribed medicinal cannabis. It examines potential harms including cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, cannabis use disorder, paranoia, affective instability and delays in other treatment. In two cases, prescribing continued despite emerging adverse outcomes or a formal request from an addiction specialist to stop prescribing.
The authors call for evidence-aligned prescribing, clearer exclusion criteria and a lower threshold for discontinuation when harms emerge.
What a case series can tell us
These cases highlight concerns that warrant clinical attention. They do not establish that medicinal cannabis caused every reported outcome, estimate how often these harms occur, or determine the balance of benefits and risks for every patient or indication.
Publication
Bradlow R, Sorensen J, Cunningham A, Daugherty S, Hadinata E, Armstrong F, Jamshidi N. Potential iatrogenic harms from medicinal cannabis prescribing in Australia: a case series. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2026;45(6):e70255. doi:10.1111/dar.70255.
The full text is available through PubMed Central. See also Dr Hadinata’s other publications and professional background.