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23rd January 2020

New Zealand on the brink of relegalising cannabis vaporisers

Law prohibiting cannabis vaporisers in New Zealand will soon be revoked

New Zealand is on the verge of relegalising cannabis vaporisers after passing a ban against the devices.
A report published on Tuesday on Marijuana Business Daily states that the law prohibiting cannabis vaporisers in New Zealand will soon be overturned. This development coincides with the country’s legalisation of medical cannabis, which is set to take effect in April.
Citing part of the law the ban falls under, a Health Ministry spokesperson said to Marijuana Business daily that “Currently, vaporisers are prohibited under the Misuse of Drugs (Prohibition of Cannabis Utensils and Methamphetamine Utensils) Notice,” but the “cabinet has agreed to replace the Misuse of Drugs Utensils Notice with a notice that enables the import of vaporisers that have been approved as medical devices by an overseas regulator.”
Reversing the ban will create opportunities for international companies to supply the New Zealand market, provided the vaporisers have been approved as medical devices by a national health body.
There was no indication which “overseas regulator” or regulators, if any, are favored by the ministry. There was also no indication if the New Zealand authorities have any particular vape manufacturers in mind.
A spokesperson told the outlet that they “are not proposing to limit the type of vaporisers so long as it is approved by an overseas regulator as a medical device,” therefore the market will rely on imports of vaporisers for some time.

Can Canada be a leading exporter?

Cannabis legalisation is sweeping over North America with over 10 states all legalising recreational marijuana over the last few years. Canada, is a leading nation for cannabis due to legalising both medical and recreational cannabis nationwide. Six vaporisers are licensed for medical use there and were issued on January 16th – therefore these could theoretically be exported to New Zealand pending certain regulatory and legal issues and other factors.
Health Canada states that there are two types of certificates for exporting these devices. The first type is for licensed medical devices, and the second is for devices intended for export only and therefore not licensed for sale in Canada.
A spokesperson from Health Canada added that “If the medical devices are intended for export only and therefore not licensed for sale in Canada, medical device exporters are required to issue an Export Certificate in the form prescribed in Schedule 3 of the Medical Devices Regulations and must be in compliance with Section 37 of the Food and Drugs Act and Part 4 of the Medical Devices Regulations.”
For a lot of patients in New Zealand and shops that sell vapes, it will soon be back to business as usual.
About Medical Cannabiz World:
In November 2019, Medical Cannabiz World opened its doors to the medicinal cannabis industry, supported by the Maltese government’s commitment to legislation for this high growth sector. Medical Cannabiz World summit 2020 will focus on the Malta medical cannabis industry as well as global opportunities in the sector, attracting investors, medical researchers, policy makers and entrepreneurs looking to forge exciting new opportunities.