Australasia: Market and legal data analysis of the cannabis sector

11th July 2024: New Zealand: The dried cannabis flower products Rua Puāwai THC26 and Rua Puāwai THC18 White Widow for use with a vaporiser have been verified by the Medicinal Cannabis Agency as meeting the minimum quality standard required to be supplied in New Zealand.
8th July 2024: New Zealand: Last week, the Cabinet approved the Misuse of Drugs (Medical Cannabis) Amendment Regulations 2024. Among the changes, exports of cannabis-based ingredients (including CBD products as ingredients or finished products) and medical cannabis products destined for overseas markets, manufactured under Good Manufacturing Practice and accepted by the importing country will not need to be tested against the minimum quality standards. The amendments came into force on 5th July 2024.
11th June 2024: New Zealand: The dried cannabis flower product “KIKUYA Cove THC 190 mg/g and CBD ≤10 mg/g” for use via a vaporiser has been verified by the Medical Cannabis Agency as meeting the minimum quality standard required to be supplied in New Zealand.
12th April 2024: New Zealand: ANTG Luna Oil THC 10 CBD 10 oral liquid has been verified by the Medical Cannabis Agency as meeting the minimum quality standard required to be supplied in New Zealand.
5th April 2024: New Zealand: ANTG Rocky Oil THC 30 oral liquid and Tilray Whole Flower Dried Cannabis THC 25 (for inhalation via a vaporiser) have been verified by the Medical Cannabis Agency as meeting the minimum quality standard required to be supplied in New Zealand.
11th March 2024: Australia: A petition urging the government to reduce the cost of medical cannabis has been launched in the Australian Parliament. The petition claims that the current price of medical cannabis means that it is not easily accessible to most patients, who also have to cover high costs for other types of treatment. The petition will be open until 13th March 2024.
8th February 2024: Australia: The state of New South Wales (NSW) has announced the establishment of a Hemp Industry Taskforce. This task force, which will include 12 representatives from growers and industry associations, will analyse and debate the objectives of the NSW industrial hemp industry, such as switching to a circular economy and harmonisation of industrial hemp regulations. The task force scope will cover only low-THC hemp for industrial purposes and not hemp for use as a therapeutic good.
30th November 2023: Australia: The government of the state of Victoria has announced that it is open to discuss the decriminalisation of the personal use of cannabis, press reports. This comes after a bill proposing to allow small quantities of cannabis for personal use and self-cultivation of up to six plants was introduced by the Legalise Cannabis party. Mental health minister Ingrid Stitt said that although the Victoria government may be unable to give support to the bill at this time, it is willing to participate in “ongoing discussions with the Legalise Cannabis Victoria party on this topic”. As of today, 30th November, the only state where cannabis for personal use is decriminalised is the Australian Capital Territory.
6th November 2023: Australia: A bill implementing a trial allowing people to drive a motor vehicle after having consumed medical cannabis was passed last week at the Legislative Assembly of the state of Victoria and is awaiting approval at the Legislative Council. If passed, the bill will allow users with a prescription to consume medical cannabis and drive. The trial is planned to be conducted in a controlled driving environment away from public roads.
3rd November 2023: New Zealand: Final election results released today (3rd November) show the centre-right National Party with a majority of seats (48 out of 122). National Party leader Christopher Luxon said during a press conference that his party was in talks with the right-wing ACT Party and New Zealand First to form a government. During his campaign, Luxon said that he was “comfortable with the current settings” when commenting on cannabis and rejected a bipartisan approach to decriminalisation.
2nd November 2023: New Zealand: Eqalis CBD30, Eqalis CBD120, Symetis T17 B52, Symetis T17 Gorilla and Cumulus T17 have been verified by the Medicinal Cannabis Agency as meeting the minimum quality standard required to be supplied in New Zealand.
17th October 2023: New Zealand: The Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority (Medsafe) has reclassified CBD from a prescription-only medicine to a restricted (pharmacist-only) medicine. This will allow registered pharmacists to supply patients with approved low-dose CBD medicines without prescription. Currently, there are no low-dose CBD-containing medicines approved under the country’s laws.

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