Medicinal cannabis survey: How many Kiwis want access to the drug?

NZ Herald 19 May 2019
A third of Kiwis have indicated they could try to access medicinal cannabis products when they become more widely and legally available next year, a survey shows.

Licensed medicinal cannabis company Helius Therapeutics commissioned the Horizon Research survey of 1156 people, 14 per cent of whom said they would definitely try to access the products. Ten per cent each said they would most likely, or were somewhat likely, to do the same.

More than half of respondents indicated they wouldn’t seek out medicinal cannabis products, including 23 per cent who said they were most unlikely to do so and 22 per cent who said they definitely would not.

Twelve per cent weren’t sure.

Regulations, licensing rules and quality standards around medicinal cannabis are to be set later this year, after Parliament recently cleared the way by passing amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act.

The results gave Helius Therapeutics, New Zealand’s largest licensed medicinal cannabis company, an understanding of the potential market size, said the company’s executive director, Paul Manning.

“Even if we just focus on those who would ‘definitely’ try accessing medicinal cannabis products, at 14 per cent that represents phenomenal demand … it’s not just the sheer size of the potential market and groundswell of demand, but it’s a timely reminder that Kiwis are increasingly seeing cannabis as a mainstream health product.”
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