Medicinal cannabis getting stronger, more commercialised

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-10-18 00:01

New Zealand

Medical marijuana flower. Photo by Elsa Olofsson on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

New Zealand's medicinal cannabis products are getting higher in THC, and the focus is moving away from the therapeutic applications of cannabidiol (CBD), researchers say. They also highlight increasing commercialisation through private cannabis clinics, which may partly be a result of GPs not being confident in prescribing medicinal cannabis themselves. The study authors conclude that patients need to be offered a range of treatment options beyond cannabis therapy, otherwise cannabis clinics could just end up prescribing to paying customers, putting profit above patient care.

Media release

From: Pasifika Medical Association Group

The New Zealand Medicinal Cannabis Scheme successfully established a domestic medicinal cannabis production sector, reduced prices and expanded the range of products to provide alternatives to illegal supply. However, there is increasing supply of THC-dominant and flower products, and the privatisation of prescribing via cannabis clinics, and this may have unintended negative consequences. The price of legal products has declined to a point where they are comparable to the illegal market. Inequities persist due to expense, and disproportionately affect Māori and those on lower incomes.

Journal/
conference: NZMJ

Organisation/s: Massey University

Funder: N/A

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