Medical Cannabis is Being Imported to New Zealand

New Zealand will soon be importing cannabis from a Canadian medical cannabis company.

Tilroy, a global leader in medical cannabis research and production, was granted permission to export medical cannabis to Middlemore Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand by the end of February.

The approval is for cannabis oil containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Patients in New Zealand are allowed medical cannabis products only if they receive special permission from the Ministry of Health.

This announcement comes only a few days after Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne downgraded the requirements to receive medical cannabis. Dunne has been instrumental in the vast majority of medical cannabis allowances in New Zealand.

According to their press release, Tilray currently supplies pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis products—including whole flower, oils and capsules—to thousands of patients, physicians, pharmacies, hospitals, governments and researchers around the world for commercial, compassionate access and research purposes.

Tilray’s products are looking to replace Sativex, a cannabis-infused mouth spray that is being used to aid Multiple Sclerosis patients with their pain management. The goal is for the more affordable cannabis to replace the monthly $1,200 product on the market called Sativex.

“We are proud to be able to offer patients in need access to high-quality, pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis products,” Tilray president Brendan Kennedy said in the company announcement on Wednesday.

Tilray was the first company to legally export medical cannabis from North America to Australia and the European Union in 2016. Their goal for 2017 is to add additional European countries and Latin America to the list of countries they export to. They also are partnering with the medical community on three clinical trials focusing on pediatric epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder, and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.