Medicinal Cannabis Scheme consultation

Overview

The Government has committed to establishing a Medicinal Cannabis Scheme to improve access to quality medicinal cannabis products through:

• enabling the commercial cultivation of medicinal cannabis and the manufacture of medicinal cannabis products in New Zealand
• setting standards for medicinal cannabis products so that medical practitioners can prescribe them with more confidence.

A regulatory system, with controls on the cultivation of cannabis and the manufacture and supply of medicinal cannabis products, is needed to support the Scheme. The regulations are being developed to establish the regulatory system.

Consultation document

• Medicinal Cannabis Scheme: Consultation document (Word, 715 KB)
• Medicinal Cannabis Scheme: Consultation document (PDF, 1.2 MB)

Why your views matter

This consultation paper sets out the details of the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme and the regulatory proposals needed to support the Scheme. It provides an opportunity for the Ministry of Health to seek feedback from the public, industry, health care professionals and other interested stakeholders on the proposals, with a particular focus on:

1. the proposed requirements for domestic cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes and manufacture of medicinal cannabis products
2. the proposed quality standards that may apply to processes and to medicinal cannabis products
3. prescribing requirements, including information that will be available to prescribers on medicinal cannabis products
4. proposed requirements after the medicinal cannabis product goes to market.

This feedback will help shape the regulatory proposals needed to support the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme.

What happens next

The Ministry of Health will analyse the feedback and consult with the Medicinal Cannabis Advisory Group (see Appendix 3) before providing advice to the Government on the outcomes of the consultation, including any proposed changes. The Ministry of Health will then seek approval from Cabinet on the regulatory proposals and work with the Parliamentary Counsel Office to draft the proposed Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Regulations.

We are aiming to have the above regulations made by 18 December 2019 and to have the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme operational in the first quarter of 2020.