The National Party's deputy leader and health spokesperson has a bill before Parliament this week which aims to make medicinal cannabis more affordable and accessible.
Dr Shane Reti wants to make medicinal cannabis more affordable and accessible. Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas
Dr Shane Reti said the bill has three key points: that cannabis with low THC can be obtained over the counter, it improves the MedSafe consenting process and the prescribing regime would be pharmacy dispensing such as in the US.
Dr Reti said the bill also addresses some issues under the current regime, such as tightening up the eligibility of who can manufacture medicinal cannabis.
"Because you can be habituated and incarcerated in prison for a serious offence right now and you'll be eligible to hold a medicinal cannabis licence.
"Also employees in the cannabis cultivation industry, I don't think gang members are well-suited for that industry."
Dr Reti said he is also worried about the locations for growing medicinal cannabis, and he does not want to see medicinal cannabis growing "beside a school, wahi tapu and other sensitive areas".
Dr Reti said he has not yet had any feedback from the government over whether it would support the bill.
He said it has been two years since the medicinal cannabis law came in.
"Two years later, we have no new affordable products on the shelf and we need to change that really quickly."
Many doctors have a significant degree of skepticism about prescribing medicinal cannabis, Reti said.
"What this relies on which hasn't been happening over these two years is a really well developed education campaign and a code of practice - what are we prescribing for? How do we prescribe? What do we look for?"
He said these issues have not been addressed in the past two years.