Medsafe has reclassified the medicinal cannabis product cannabidiol (CBD) from a prescription drug to a restricted drug (pharmacists only) in New Zealand. Australia made a similar change in 2020.
Although there are currently none CBDproducts are approved in New Zealand, so this may change in the future. Any approved product can in the future be supplied by registered pharmacists to patients over 18 years of age. There are currently no products available in this category. Generally, these are products that would be used to treat minor ailments.
CBD medicines
The industry has also previously indicated that a change in classification could provide more opportunities for research into the clinical efficacy and safety of CBD. This could in turn create more opportunities for the approval of cannabidiol-containing medications.
Until now, the main route for supplying cannabidiol has been as a medicinal cannabis product that was not approved by Medsafe but met the minimum quality standards of the Misuse of Drugs (Medical Cannabis) Regulation. This meant it could only be accessed via a prescription from a registered doctor.
Source: nzdoctor.co.uk (EN)
