Our Background

Many Australians can currently, or will soon be able to access cannabinoids for medicinal purposes under the supervision of a doctor. However, currently there are difficulties in sourcing reliable, consistent and ‘clinically suitable’ products that are safe and effective for specific conditions. Doctors are also concerned about staying up-to-date with rapid changes to legislation, and the lack of access to sufficient information, including a reliable evidence base, to guide their prescribing.

Funded in 2017 by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) through the Centres for Research Excellence scheme, the Australia Centre for Cannabinoid Clinical and Research Excellence (ACRE) is Australia's first federally-funded research centre in medicinal cannabinoids.

ACRE incorporates 20+ Chief and Associate Investigators from multi-disciplinary fields (e.g. pharmacology; clinical psychology; plant science; public health; health economics) from over 10 Australian universities and other research institutions to build capacity in medicinal cannabis research and provide a national response to current challenges.

ACRE will develop a well governed collaborative strategy to generate world class research in medicinal cannabis and will be pivotal in establishing Australia as a world leader in appropriately balanced implementation of medicinal cannabinoid uptake into specialist and primary health care settings.

Our Aims

The overall objective of the Australia Centre for Cannabinoid Clinical and Research Excellence (ACRE) is to develop a national research and policy framework for medical
cannabinoids and to make better use of existing cannabinoid clinical and research data and infrastructure. This will bridge current gaps between research, health services, industry and consumers to provide safe guidance for medical cannabinoid use.

The key aims for ACRE's  program include:

  • Generation and investigation of clinical questions around the therapeutic use of medicinal cannabinoids as they present at the coalface
  • Establishment of evidence-base for rapid translation into clinical practice, to guide government responses to medicinal cannabinoids, and to underpin regulatory and environmental research and policies and legislation to ensure quality and safety in the implementation of medicinal cannabis use in the community
  • Development of world-class national primary health care infrastructure for pharmacovigilance, supported by national best practice prescribing organisations
  • Development of Australia’s long-term research capacity in medicinal cannabinoids manufacture and clinical use through the training of the next generation of world-class researchers, including postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers across multidisciplinary areas.

Our Partners

ACRE • All Right Reserved

Website by mudbath