An online medicinal cannabis prescriber has acknowledged it falsely described its entire product range as approved by Australia's medicines regulator — but has refused to commit to telling its customers about the error. Medicinal Organic Cannabis Australia (MOCA), which lists a Sydney address on its website, has quietly removed the misleading claims after questions were raised about the accuracy of its product descriptions.
What MOCA Claimed — and Why It Was Wrong
MOCA's managing director, Alessandro Sorbello, had published a statement on the company's website asserting that its "complete product range is approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and is ready for practitioners to prescribe to patients in Australia." The site went further, stating that its "approved medical cannabis product range includes capsules, sublingual oils, isolates, vape pens and whole cannabis flowers."
In reality, more than 99 per cent of medicinal cannabis products available in Australia are not listed on the TGA's Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) and have not been assessed by the regulator for safety, quality or effectiveness. Only two cannabis medicines hold full TGA approval: Epidyolex, an oral solution prescribed for specific forms of epilepsy, and Sativex, a mouth spray used to treat multiple sclerosis-related spasticity. These two products together account for less than one per cent of medicinal cannabis products available in the country.
MOCA's broader product range — while legal — falls into the category of unapproved therapeutic goods. Doctors can still lawfully prescribe such products through established regulatory pathways, including the Special Access Scheme, but they have not undergone the same rigorous TGA assessment process as fully approved medicines.
MOCA Removes Claims But Won't Promise to Notify Customers
When confronted with the discrepancy, MOCA acknowledged in a statement that the wording on its website "did not accurately reflect the regulatory status" of its products, and confirmed the claims had been removed. The company said it was also conducting a broader review of its website to ensure all product information and regulatory descriptions were "accurate and consistent with current requirements."
However, when asked directly whether it would inform existing patients or customers about the change, MOCA's response was notably non-committal — saying it "will consider whether any further communication is appropriate as part of that process."
Regulators Flag Advertising Concerns Across the Industry
The Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 explicitly prohibits advertisements that imply a therapeutic good has been approved or recommended by the government or a government authority. A TGA spokesperson said the regulator was unable to confirm whether MOCA's specific claims constituted unlawful advertising without a full case-by-case assessment, but stressed that "businesses are responsible for understanding and complying with their regulatory obligations when advertising and supplying therapeutic goods, including advertising through online platforms."
MOCA's case is not believed to be isolated. Experts have raised broader concerns about the language used by medicinal cannabis clinics and online retailers across the industry, with some using terminology that could lead prospective patients to believe their products have been formally vetted by the TGA. Earlier this year, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) wrote to the TGA calling for reforms to the way medicinal cannabis is prescribed and regulated in Australia.
What This Means for Patients
The distinction between TGA-approved and unapproved-but-legal products matters significantly for patients making decisions about their healthcare. Products that have not been assessed by the TGA have not been independently evaluated for safety, quality or effectiveness — information that is material to informed consent. With the medicinal cannabis sector continuing to grow rapidly in Australia, advocates and medical bodies are pushing for tighter oversight of how these products are described and marketed to the public.
For patients navigating the healthcare system, understanding the broader regulatory landscape around Australian healthcare remains increasingly important as new treatment options expand.
