New Zealand

Recently, New Zealand’s government passed a medical cannabis law that will grant thousands of New Zealanders access to legal medical cannabis. The law will immediately grant medical cannabis access to terminally ill patients and eventually allow for large-scale access to people with a number of conditions. The passage of the New Zealand medical cannabis law also establishes parameters for the manufacturing and sales of cannabis by New Zealand-based companies. It is the language paving the way for legal cannabis cultivation and sales that has many in New Zealand ecstatic about the law. Allowing companies to grow and sell cannabis legally will help to stamp out a thriving black market and create safer and better designed cannabis products that are tailored to patients. Progress That Was Necessary New Zealanders have been clamoring for a legal cannabis program for decades. Cannabis has been widely consumed in New Zealand and many in law enforcement turn a blind eye to small-time recreational use of the plant. However, finding safe and usable cannabis can be difficult for those who feel that cannabis is a last resort for pain or for treating an ailment. The illegality of cannabis puts a target on the back of anyone attempting to grow or use the plant and puts them under constant threat of law enforcement involvement, no matter how unlikely that is to occur. The recently passed law will not only provide peace of mind, but also create better products to the vast community of patients who consume cannabis for medicinal reasons. New Zealand Health Minister David Clarke believes the bill is a huge step forward for ailing New Zealanders. “People nearing the end of their lives should not have to worry about being arrested or imprisoned for trying to manage their pain,” he said. Clarke also called the law, “Compassionate and caring legislation that will make a real difference to people.” View this post on Instagram New Zealand’s government on Tuesday December 11th, passed a law that will make medical marijuana widely available for thousands of patients over time. The new law allows patients much broader access to medical marijuana, which was previously highly restricted. But most patients will have to wait a year until a new set of regulations, licensing rules and quality standards are put in place. Health Minister Dr. David Clark said in a statement the new law will help ease suffering. “This will particularly welcome as another option for people who live with chronic pain,” he said. The 25,000 people who are in palliative care with terminal illnesses didn’t have to wait for the new scheme, and so the law provided a legal defense for them to use illegal marijuana. “People nearing the end of their lives should not have to worry about being arrested or imprisoned for trying to manage their pain,” Clark said.#medicalmarijuana #newzealand #medicalmarijuana411 #cannabiscommunity #cannabis A post shared by Medical Marijuana 411 (@medicalmarijuana411) on Dec 11, 2018 at 12:36pm PST The Future for New Zealand Medical Cannabis Though much remains unknown about the New Zealand medical cannabis program, the mere notion of its establishment is a positive progression. New Zealand is primed to take another step forward by pushing a referendum on recreational cannabis use. The vote will occur during the country’s 2020 general election and if poll numbers are any indication (two-thirds of New Zealanders favor recreational legalization), it has a good chance of passage. Regardless of whether or not recreational cannabis use is granted legal status, medical cannabis in New Zealand is on track for a successful future. Cannabis legalization favorability will only continue to increase as the New Zealand government sees increased tax revenue and New Zealanders see the benefits of legally produced cannabis products that work specifically to treat their various ailments.

Log In

Review Cart

Cart is empty

New Zealand

New Zealand Medical Cannabis Laws Passed by Government

Medical Marijuana Helps Teen Speak For the First Time in 4 Years

Hemp could be a staple food

NZ Government Legalises Medical Marijuana