iStock
iStock

Cannabis can't legally be a medicine, experts argue

Embargoed until: Publicly released:

In a comment piece, University of Otago toxicologists argue cannabis can't be considered a medicine as it's actually a product with multiple ingredients. Even if cannabis products benefit patients, they say it would not be able to meet the regulatory approval of other medicines, which requires exact compositions to be known and for batches to be consistently replicated. While it might not fit the legal definition of a medicine, they say cannabis products should be held to the same standards as other medicines and we shouldn't be inventing a whole new definition of a medicine just for cannabis.

Journal/conference: New Zealand Medical Journal

Organisation/s: University of Otago

Media Release

From: New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA)

Key points

New Zealand has a clear frame work which defines the standards required for something to be considered a medicine, yet appears on the cusp on creating a whole new class of “medicine” to accommodate medicinal cannabis. Our argument is:

  • Cannabis is not a single substance, but a mixture of substances whose exact composition varies between products.
  • Regulatory approval of medicines requires exact composition to be known and be able to be replicated for batch to batch conformity.  It requires detailed stability data and to ensure that products are free from contaminants.   Clinical efficacy must be proven, and adverse effects monitored.  If we are going to ask doctors to prescribe cannabis as a medicine, why would cannabis products not be required to meet existing standards?

Summary

If we are going to ask doctors to prescribe medicinal cannabis, shouldn’t it meet the same safety and efficacy standards as other medicines? This article asks why we are inventing a whole new definition of a medicine just for cannabis.

News for:

New Zealand

Media contact details for this story are only visible to registered journalists.