Most Kiwis using medicinal cannabis want a legal prescription

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-04-30 00:01

New Zealand

PHOTO: Kimzy Nanney/Unsplash

A survey has found that two-thirds of Kiwi medicinal cannabis users intend to get a prescription rather than continue using the drug illegally. Last year, new legislation came into force that allowed medical professionals to prescribe their patients cannabis for health purposes. A year before it came into effect, researchers surveyed more than 3,600 adults via Facebook, finding younger people and those with a higher income were more likely to say they would get a prescription. Māori, lower income groups, and those who grew their own cannabis at home were less likely to say they would, which may highlight a perception that the new scheme is restrictive and expensive.

Media release

From: New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA)

The online research survey of 3,634 medicinal cannabis users found majority (66%) were interested in transitioning to the new prescription Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (yet to be fully implemented). Medicinal-cannabis users with higher incomes, who are younger and who administered cannabis via smoking were more likely to express intention to use the scheme. Conversely, medicinal-cannabis users who identified as Māori and those who grew their own cannabis were less likely to intend to engage with the new prescription scheme. The lower intended engagement with the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme by Māori, lower income groups and those who home-grow cannabis may reflect their perceptions of the Medical Cannabis Scheme as restrictive and expensive. As more products become approved under the scheme, engagement with those groups of medicinal cannabis users will be important.

Journal/
conference: New Zealand Medical Journal

Organisation/s: Massey University

Funder: NZ Health Research Council

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