It wasn’t supposed to be this way. When the Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Act passed in 2018, it seemed to lay the groundwork for a vibrant new industry, one that could leverage both New Zealand’s history of technical innovation in horticulture and its informal knowledge about growing premium cannabis.
The decision to require cannabis producers to achieve European GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certification, the same as that required for pharmaceutical drugs, meant a high bar, but it would give New Zealand products a premium standing globally. But four years on, only three New Zealand companies have any products that have met the standard for prescription, and only one, Helius, has products derived from New Zealand-grown cannabis. The company has also just announced it has secured approval for “two new medicinal cannabis products containing THC”, derived from plants grown indoors at its Auckland facility.
CBD, a non-intoxicating cannabinoid, is sold in convenience stores in the US and Europe.
The devil was in the detail of the “minimum quality standards” that followed the passage of the law. Our cannabis regulations are regarded as the most onerous in the world. Too onerous, in
