Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton
Medicinal cannabis products could be available to some people in the Cook Islands as early as June and will "definitely" be available by the end of the year says the country's secretary of health.
Bob Williams said although amendments needed to be made to existing legislation, in the meantime, the Ministry of Health would reactivate its pharmacy board to issue medicinal cannabis products.
"The board can issue a licence to pharmacists and authorise them to import medicinal cannabis or any form of medications to support people or patients who require these types of medicines," he said.
The board is planning to meet next month and process the necessary documentation to allow this to happen, he added.
"It shouldn't be any time longer than after June for that process to kick in."
A legally non-binding referendum was held in August last year that asked: "Should we review our cannabis laws to allow for research and medicinal use?" Sixty-two percent of respondents voted yes.
Since then the government has created a committee to investigate the rules and regulations of medicinal cannabis.
Prime Minister Mark Brown said the committee was working on a policy paper at the moment.
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Progress 'too slow'
However, medicinal cannabis campaigner Steve Boggs said progress had been too slow.
"What's disappointing is the Prime Minister Mark Brown said he was going to act very quickly and that was back in August," Boggs said.
"He was saying he was needing to have all the petitions settled so they can form a cabinet but that's been a couple months; also that they've had a committee and I still don't see any progress."
Boggs said he wanted a "stop-gap" measure to allow designated growers to cultivate cannabis while the law was being changed.
The cannabis committee chair Tingika Elikana previously said the committee was looking at potentially changing legislation so cannabis could be cultivated for medicinal use.
"If the opportunity is cheaper for us to manufacture our own to treat those with ailments in the country, then we might have to go down that road and encourage people to get that opportunity," Elikana told RNZ Pacific in February.