New Zealand: details of the government's proposal to legalize medical cannabis

The soap opera continues. After having announced its intention to introduce a bill to facilitate access to medical cannabis in New Zealand, the NZ government yesterday unveiled its Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill.

The bill aims to make medical cannabis available to people with chronic or terminal illnesses. The latter would have the right to grow their own plants.

An Advisory Committee would also be set up to regulate the cannabis prescription and ensure a standard level of quality for cannabis-containing products. This committee would serve both to guarantee patient safety and to give health practitioners confidence in prescribing cannabis products. cannabis.

The New Zealand government also recognizes that it would take almost 2 years to implement this regulation, if it were voted through. In the meantime, it is considering decriminalizing therapeutic use for people with less than a year to live.

«Some people just can't wait» explained Health Minister David Clark. «Temporarily, the legislation will create a legal screen for the illegal possession and use of cannabis for people whose doctor thinks they have less than a year to live. It doesn't make cannabis legal for terminally ill people, but it does mean they will no longer be criminalized for their use.»

Medical cannabis will be imported while the country sets up its own cultivation operations. Eventually, cannabis will be distributed in pharmacies.

New Zealand's leading drug association, the NZ Drug Foundation, reacted on Twitter by lending its support to the government's proposal, while suggesting that it doesn't go far enough and only protects a fraction of sufferers.

#tldr We support the medical cannabis bill, but a few improvements needed https://t.co/xYgn11bAtQ

- NZ Drug Foundation (@nzdrug) December 20, 2017

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