Medical Cannabis Awareness New Zealand Launch

Medical Cannabis Awareness New Zealand (MCANZ) is pleased to announce its registration as a charity has been approved.

MCANZ is devoted to “putting patients before politics”, and intends to help patients who may benefit from access to medical cannabis under existing laws. As a charity, MCANZ cannot advocate for any specific law changes.

However, we can take a role in increasing public awareness of medical cannabis use in New Zealand.

Medical cannabis is legally available in New Zealand. Approximately 30 Kiwis now have active prescriptions for Sativex, but MCANZ believes many more New Zealanders could benefit from this medication.

The Three Goals of MCANZ

• to assist fundraising for legally-available medical cannabis for patients • To promote knowledge on medical cannabis to the medical profession • to advocate for patients’ access to the best medicine available for them The cost of Sativex is a huge barrier. Already, many people have had successful crowd funding campaigns for this medicine, and MCANZ will promote and assist such fundraising through its tax-deductible status.

MCANZ will seek donations and bequests directly, and network to help Kiwis in need meet potential benefactors. Initially, a crowd-funding campaign will support 10 additional patients.

https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/legalmcfor10/donations

Improving knowledge on medical cannabis would empower and assist the medical profession to use current legal options for prescribing / requesting access to medical cannabis for their patients.

A reputable American online course will be offered, that is recognized for 12 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits. We have duly confirmed that these credits are transferrable for Nurses, GPs and Anaesthetists in New Zealand to be recognized as part of their continuing education programs. Other relevant specialties may be added, and in future we hope to bring medical cannabis experts from the USA to offer this course locally.

Where medical cannabis may be an appropriate treatment, MCANZ will support individual patients’ efforts to research their situation and to apply for access to this medicine through their GP and/or specialists.

The MCANZ team includes a Registered Nurse who is undertaking further medical cannabis education. This will enable us to provide up-to-date information on the benefits, risks and success rates possible. Having a medical professional assisting with these applications (such as those made for Alex Renton and Helen Kelly) could, we believe, greatly help with the applications process in a variety of ways.

Our long term goals are to become a recognized centre of knowledge on Medical Cannabis in New Zealand, to promote the research and development of MC products here in NZ, and to advocate for improvements in the availability and affordability of medical cannabis.

ENDS

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