2026 marks ten years since medicinal cannabis was legalised in Australia. To reflect on how far the industry has come, and where it’s headed next, we’re speaking with the people helping shape it. From early advocates, to scientific leaders working behind the scenes, this series captures the journeys, lessons, and hopes defining the first, and the next, decade of medicinal cannabis.
About Natalie D’Alessandro
Natalie D’Alessandro is a patient advocate and the founder of Viz Medicinal, where she supports practitioners and industry leaders to better understand the patient experience and approach medicinal cannabis with greater ethical care.
She holds a Bachelor of Commerce and an MBA, and has completed executive education at Harvard and Wharton, bringing a strong commercial and governance lens to her work. Natalie has spent time working alongside cannabis communities across the USA, Mexico, Canada and Europe, experiences that continue to shape her culturally informed perspective. She also serves on the board of a Human Research and Ethics Committee, and is particularly focused on addressing stigma, advancing gender health research, and embedding values-led thinking into healthcare systems.
The Australian medicinal cannabis community is ten years young. How did you first find your way into this space?
I did whatever it took to get into the medicinal cannabis industry at ground level. I started by answering phones in a clinic where I learned that I absolutely love interacting with patients. Listening to patients, day-in-day out was a profound experience. It changed everything for me.
I moved from the clinic into digital education, always led by the same instinct: when something important needs to be done, I do it.
I approach my work as a creative practice. I’ve learned that my best work comes when I balance structure with play; much like my relationship with the plant herself.
I work with companies, practitioners and individuals who share the same values and want to deeply understand the patient experience. My focus is ethical and differentiated strategies that honour patients as informed participants in their own healthcare journey.
What is the most meaningful lesson you’ve learnt about the cannabis plant?
Values matter so much in this space. Working with values in alignment changes everything about how the work feels for me.
Not everyone is ready for the same conversation at the same time, and that’s okay. We don’t need consensus to speak truthfully about our personal experiences. In fact, medicine depends on us valuing individual response rather than uniformity.
Cannabis grows everywhere and has been used across cultures for millennia. Its prohibition and its return mirror broader social cycles, particularly women reclaiming voice and agency.
What sounds “woo-woo” at first often becomes practical once you’ve lived it. Speak to your body. Listen to your body. What? Weird. Wait a minute… What did my body just say?
At its best, cannabis acts as a mirror and a magnifier. At worst, cannabis also acts as a mirror and a magnifier, take from that what you will!
What three words capture your hopes for cannabis in Australia over the next ten years?
Potent. Home. Remedy.
To learn more about Natalie’s ongoing community advocacy, follow Viz Medicinal on Instagram.
The views, opinions, and statements expressed in this article are solely those of the individual contributor and do not represent, and should not be attributed to, Astrid. Astrid makes no claims. Contributors are not our patients – their experiences are shared with the sole intent to inform their inspiration behind driving change in the sector through their advocacy, research, or policy contributions.
