The Dispensary Podcast, a B2B podcast covering the policy, politics and operational realities of medicinal cannabis and psychedelic medicine, has been announced on 4/20 ahead of its official launch on 27 May 2026.
Hosted by Gary Mackenzie, entrepreneur, industry thought leader and two-time cancer survivor, the podcast draws on his experience as an early operator in Australia’s medicinal cannabis sector, where he played a role in developing clinic and dispensary models in the Asia Pacific region. His background spans patient access, prescribing pathways and commercial operations across the category.
The Dispensary Podcast is built around a central issue facing both medicinal cannabis and psychedelic medicine, the gap between policy development and real-world implementation.
As medicinal cannabis markets continue to expand and psychedelic medicine enters regulated clinical pathways, both sectors are moving into a more complex and commercially significant phase. While policy frameworks are evolving across jurisdictions, the practical realities of how these systems function day to day across clinics, pharmacies, cultivation facilities and supply chains remain inconsistent.
This disconnect impacts prescribing behaviour, dispensing workflows, product availability, compliance standards and ultimately patient access. It also creates ongoing challenges for operators navigating fragmented regulatory environments while attempting to build sustainable and scalable businesses.
“Medicinal cannabis and psychedelic medicine are scaling quickly, but the infrastructure behind them is still being built in real time,” said Mackenzie. “There is a gap between policy and practice, and it affects how patients access treatment and how businesses operate.”
Each episode of The Dispensary Podcast features long-form conversations with professionals working directly within the system, including prescribing clinicians, pharmacists, cultivators, manufacturers, researchers, regulators and industry executives.
Discussions examine how policy decisions translate into clinical care, how products move from cultivation through to dispensing, and how regulatory frameworks shape both commercial outcomes and patient access across different markets.
Core areas of coverage include policy and regulatory change, industry politics, cultivation and manufacturing standards, prescribing models, pharmacy and dispensing workflows, product supply, compliance and market access.
While anchored in Australia, the podcast is developed with a global outlook. Coverage extends to the United Kingdom, Thailand, North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region, reflecting the increasingly interconnected nature of these industries and the influence of international policy, capital and clinical development.
The Dispensary Podcast is intended for professionals working within medicinal cannabis and psychedelic medicine who require a clear and practical understanding of how these industries operate across policy, clinical and commercial environments.
