Medicinal Cannabis in New Zealand Updated

Medicinal cannabis is an area of growing public, scientific and policy interest, yet our understanding of its clinical effectiveness, benefits, side effects and flow on consequences remains in its infancy.

There is no shortage of anecdotal evidence that cannabinoids help with a wide range of ailments, but available high-quality clinical trials completed to date confirmed they work only in a few health conditions. Perhaps it’s this gap in evidence and the promise of potential future discoveries about the effects of cannabis that make it such a fascinating topic.

New Zealand legalised access to medicinal cannabis in 2018, and the new Medicinal Cannabis Scheme started operating in 2020. The reform was driven by high-profile cases of cancer patients and children and teenagers without access to cannabidiol (CBD) oral therapy. Since then, hundreds of thousands of prescriptions have been written for Kiwi patients. Prescribed products now increasingly include THC flowers (buds) that can be inhaled, known for its intoxicating properties. The dual property of cannabis which is used as a therapeutic agent and a psychoactive drug continues to contribute to the policy challenges.

Navigating this complex landscape as a consumer and a patient is challenging. In my research on cannabis, I surveyed and interviewed thousands of Kiwis who used cannabis-based products to help manage their physical and mental health. Most people reported positive experiences and praised their ability to replace or reduce use of other prescribed pharmaceuticals that they could not tolerate, but many were also acutely aware of the scientific evidence gaps. When I spoke to policymakers and regulators around the world, they also grappled with regulating cannabis in a way that prioritises health, safety and human rights.

“When people think about medicinal cannabis use, they think about quality-assured, balanced products with lower THC concentrations. They don't need to be that high."

"There is no good evidence to support use of some of these high-THC flowers; in fact, there's been some clinical trials ... that found lower THC products can be similarly effective with helping with some pain conditions, and they do have less side effects.“

RNZ Interview Oct 2024

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marta Rychert (PhD) is an Associate Professor at the SHORE & Whariki Research Centre. Her work lies at the intersection of health, policy and law, with particular focus on drug policy, cannabis markets (recreational and medical) and their commercialisation. She analysed implementation of drug policy reforms in Europe, New Zealand, Canada and the Caribbean, and she currently leads research programmes on the implementation of medicinal cannabis scheme in NZ.