New Zealand Cannabis Advocate Facing Drug Charges
Rose Renton, a New Zealand woman who fought for her son’s right to medicinally use cannabidiol oil (CBD), could be facing a prison stint for cannabis related offenses.
On Tuesday, October 17, Renton appeared in court facing charges for cultivating cannabis plants, processing cannabis products and possession with intent to distribute. If convicted she could serve up to 14 years. She was granted bail after her brief court appearance, where she will remain at a home address. She will appear in court again November 14.
Renton first came to prominence in 2015 while campaigning for the right to use medical cannabis to treat her son Alex, who suffered from severe epilepsy. Renton hoped to procure CBD oils produced by Elixinol, an American cannabis extract manufacturer. The case gained national attention and thanks to support from the public, Alex became the first New Zealander to receive an exemption for CBD products. Tragically he died while in an induced coma a month after being exempted. He was suffering from a prolonged and acute epileptic seizure.
CBD is a non-psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant. CBD does not elicit the same euphoric sensation as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), but it does provide pain relief at high doses and is known to promote relaxation.
Thanks in part to Renton’s efforts, physicians are now able to import and prescribe CBD products. However, she says that standards for importation are strict and relying on importation makes the prospect unaffordable and restricts accessibility for patients in need.
“It’s totally symbolic. The only CBD that New Zealand doctors are able to prescribe is imported CBD that is hugely priced,” Renton said in a statement for RNZ. “The New Zealand public are being told one thing but they are not being given any affordable access to it.”
Before restrictions were removed, CBD was considered a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act. According to Victoria Catherwood, a documentary filmmaker and medical student at the University of Otago, approximately 175,000 New Zealanders consume and use cannabis for medical purposes.
