In week 7’s podcast we interviewed Aspa from Dukasa Compounding. Aspa has extensive knowledge on compounding medical cannabis and practical experience in several pharmacies throughout Victoria, specialising in non-sterile compounding.

Holding a Bachelor of Pharmacy from Monash University, Aspa founded and opened Dukasa Compounding Pharmacy in 2013 and The Medicinal Cannabis Pharmacy in 2019. Both pharmacies are leading Victorian pharmacies in the medicinal cannabis industry and have been specialising in dispensing and compounding medical cannabis for over two years.

The main psychoactive ingredient of cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which acts on specific receptors in the brain known as cannabinoid or CB1 receptors. The main difference between the two cannabinoids is that THC has strong psychoactive effects, meaning it makes a person having hallucination affects, whereas CBD is thought to have an anti-psychoactive effect that controls or moderates the ‘high’ caused by the THC. CBD is also thought to reduce some of the other negative effects that people can experience from THC, such as anxiety.

For some people with chronic or terminal illnesses, conventional medicines don’t work, or don’t work as effectively as medicinal CBD. Also, for some patients, conventional medicines may work but cause debilitating side effects that cannabis can help to relieve.

There is a community need for medicines and therapies that can help to alleviate the painful symptoms of various illnesses and diseases.

An increasing number of studies suggest that medicinal cannabis in the form of oral extracts, sprays or pills can reduce pain and help treat some conditions such as depression and PTSD among others. However, as with many other drugs, medicinal cannabis can also cause unwanted side effects, such as difficulty concentrating, dizziness, drowsiness, loss of balance, and problems with thinking and memory.

Aspa is extremely passionate about the field of medicinal cannabis and believes it is a growing field with the potential to change the lives of Australians with debilitating health conditions.

External links:

https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/public-health/drugs-and-poisons/medicinal-cannabis