A new law has been passed in New Zealand which could probably change medical marijuana in the nation. However, it will take some time before all the new rules become effective, the new laws should make medical marijuana much more available to numerous patients. Furthermore, they could clear the pathway toward complete cannabis legalization.
Lawmakers in New Zealand have passed a new set of medical marijuana laws. Currently, the nation of New Zealand had a rigorous medical marijuana program.
Indeed, the prohibitive nature of the previous program is among the reasons that facilitated this most recent overhaul of New Zealand law. Some features of the new law include the following:
Severely ill patients will be permitted to start smoking medical marijuana instantly. This is essential since it allows very sick patients to begin receiving medication before waiting for the rest of the new laws to become active. Moreover, this specific overhaul proves that patients cannot be detained for using cannabis for medicinal purposes.
When all new regulations are established, medical marijuana will become available to thousands of patients.
According to the new laws, New Zealand will also permit the manufacturing of medical marijuana and marijuana-infused products within the country. Moreover, these products will be suitable for in both domestic and internationally.
The law which permits patients suffering from chronic pain to use medical marijuana instantly is a new change. This is mainly because the remaining changes will need more time to roll out.
Currently, experts believe that it will probably take more than one year before all the changes are entirely implemented. Therefore, patients suffering from minor illnesses will probably have to wait for some time before the new laws apply.
Numerous changes could follow the new medical marijuana laws of New Zealand. Most importantly, some lawmakers are currently thinking of making recreational weed legal.
Interestingly, the government of New Zealand has stated that it will start researching the idea in earnest. More importantly, the nation has a goal to explore a legalization referendum throughout two years.
Apart from that, there have not been any solid plans. For instance, no specified measure has been provided by lawmakers concerning the legislative process that would be necessary to make this kind of change.
Currently, these new changes to New Zealand’s medical marijuana laws could be a progression towards establishing more liberal cannabis laws in general.
Not everybody is in support of the changes. Of course, the Opposition party is not in favor of the new medical marijuana laws. A representative of the party defined the new law as “lazy and dangerous.”
According to the Opposition spokesperson, they are in favor of medicinal cannabis but strictly deny the smoking of loose-leaf marijuana in public. Smoked loose-leaf is not curative.
Furthermore, Opposition lawmakers stated that the new medical marijuana laws are just a start to complete legalization.