Medicinal cannabis has been legal for GPs to prescribe since 2020, but a lack of government subsidies is still forcing sick Kiwis to turn to the black market for much more expensive Pharmac-approved treatments.
At the moment, there are no cannabis products on the Pharmaceutical List, a government-funded list of medicines. It’s unclear if any will join the list soon.
Two medicinal cannabis products have been considered for Pharmac funding: Sativex, which was declined in 2015, and Epidiolyx, a CBD oil, which was evaluated last month, and “findings will be published in due course.”
Anyone can apply for a drug funded by Pharmac, but the application must go through a lengthy process, spanning several years, before funding is granted.
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Pharmac considers four factors when funding a product: need, health benefits, cost and savings, and suitability of the product.
Tom Lee/Things
The cost of these medicinal cannabis products remains a financial barrier for many Kiwis seeking treatment.
Pharmac considers funding for individual patients and has funded products for eight people at the time of publication.
Since medical cannabis was legalized two years ago, several chronically ill Kiwis say their quality of life has improved significantly with the drug.
Earlier this year, 27-year-old Chiara Lowe had run out of conventional medical options to treat her Crohn’s disease.
Lowe suffered weekly flare-ups of inflammatory bowel disease, where she would be incapacitated with pain, swelling, vomiting and severe fatigue.
Lowe tried a number of medications, including injections of the immunosuppressant azathioprine and Humira, which left her with skin rashes, arthritic joints and painful rashes.
Cannabis Clinic/Supplied
Chiara Lowe said she would be a burden on New Zealand’s health system if she could not take medical cannabis.
“I didn’t go out, I didn’t socialize. My energy levels were horrible, I was constantly losing weight,” said Lowe.
Lowe was given medical cannabis by a friend who also has Crohn’s and had been taking prescription cannabis.
Dr Waseem Alzaher, co-founder of the Cannabis Clinic in Auckland, says his medical cannabis practice helps patients access “quality products, without adverse reactions”.
However, the cost of legal cannabis remains a financial barrier for many.
“I don’t understand why the government can subsidize my injections for $1,400 each, but not CBD oil for $200 a month,” Lowe said.
Ingrid Hurle, 22, has been using medical cannabis to treat her endometriosis and knows of people who are still turning to black market cannabis to treat medical conditions, even though there are no quality controls.
Cannabis Clinic/Supplied
Dr Waseem Alzaher of the Auckland Cannabis Clinic says their role is to get people “functional, not high”.
“People would rather take a chance and buy on the black market than pay for CBD oil,” Hurle said.
“It’s not like you’re smoking a joint, it’s a drug to get you through the day.
“If I couldn’t pay for medical cannabis, it would be a burden on the health system, it would cost the government a lot of money.”
Both Lowe and Hurle have to save in other areas of life, as well as seek financial support so their parents can pay for their medications.
Alzaher is confident that the news is not “doom and gloom” for people who would like to use medical cannabis but cannot afford it through legal channels. He says competition will help lower prices.
“The cost will come down. Right now, an ounce on the black market is about $350, and we’re offering the same amount of quality medical cannabis flower for $400,” he said.
Alzaher also said medical cannabis had turned many of his patients “from unemployed to economically productive Kiwis”.
“Our role as trained specialists is to make people functional, not high, and give them a better life,” he said.
