A sponsorship deal between a medicine clinic that prescribes medicinal cannabis and NRL club The Dolphins may have broken the law, with Foxtel and Channel Nine forced to change their coverage.
The Dolphins became the first NRL club to sign a medical cannabis sponsorship last month, announcing a two-year partnership with Alternaleaf, Australia’s largest plant medicine clinic.
The Alternaleaf logo has been used on the sternum of Dolphins jerseys and has been prominently displayed at Dolphins home games at Suncorp Stadium.
While medicinal cannabis is not illegal in Australia, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) does not allow the advertising of prescription medicines or medical cannabis consultations.
Groundbreaking deal between medical cannabis clinic and NRL club The Dolphins may have broken the law
The deal between Alternaleaf and the Dolphins was announced last month.
The Dolphins’ sponsorship deal with Alternaleaf is now being reviewed by the TGA, with the logos being broadcast to large audiences via Channel Nine, Fox Sports and promoted by the club at home games.
“The TGA is aware of the partnership between the Dolphins and Alternaleaf and is assessing whether any material published in connection with this partnership raises concerns under the advertising requirements of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 (the Act),” a statement reads. statement provided to the Sydney Morning Herald.
“The law does not prohibit partnerships between sports teams and entities involved in the supply of medical cannabis, however, advertising medical cannabis, as prescription drugs, to the public is prohibited.”
The law applies to “all media visible to the public, such as stadiums, sports jerseys, billboards, magazines, websites and social media.”
Both NRL broadcasters Nine and Fox Sports have indicated they are working to comply with guidelines regarding displaying the Alternaleaf logo during coverage.
Fox Sports’ broadcast of Friday’s game against the Broncos did not include interviews with the players, as coverage of their previous games did.
However, Nine aired a post-match interview with a Dolphins player in which the Alternaleaf logo was visible on his jersey.
Good Therapeutic Administration does not allow advertising of prescription drugs or consultations for medical cannabis
Montu, a supplier of medicinal cannabis products, believes the partnership does not breach the TGA’s advertising laws.
“What we are promoting is a health care clinic, and while there are rules on how to do that, we have reviewed them as appropriate,” said spokeswoman Kelly King.
‘The TGA has confirmed to us in writing that partnerships between sports teams and entities involved in the supply of therapeutic products are not prohibited by law.
‘Alternaleaf is a healthcare clinic with over 150,000 patients and we are promoting our expert doctors and the ease of the booking process. We do not consider the promotion of our clinic problematic.’