Where Medicinal Cannabis has been prescribed to be taken using a vaporiser, CannaPlus+ strongly recommends the use of a medically approved vaporiser.

In NZ, the only medically registered vaporisers are the Storz & Bickel Mighty Medic, Storz & Bickel Mighty Medic+, and the Storz & Bickel Volcano Medic.

However, CannaPlus+ recognizes that these devices can be prohibitively expensive for some patients, as they are generally priced between $550 – $999 depending on the model.

 

As part of a 2023 Official Information Act request submitted by the non-profit advocacy group Medical Cananbis Aotearoa New Zealand, the Ministry of Health have provided the following guidance regarding the usage of non-medical vaporisers (emphasis added by CannaPlus+):

You have asked for the Ministry of Health’s views on the use of non-medically approved dry herb vaporisers for taking medicinal cannabis.

A person who possesses a non-medically approved dry herb vaporiser for the purpose of taking their prescribed medicinal cannabis would not breach the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 because they are not using it “for the purpose of the commission of an offence against this Act” (s13(1)(a).

With regard to the law on how medicinal cannabis may be taken, while [a product lawfully supplied under the Regulations cannot be in a form intended for smoking] (regulation 20(1) of the Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Regulations 2019), there is no law against a person inhaling their prescribed medicinal cannabis using an un-approved vaporiser.

However, it is advisable that they use an approved vaporiser if the product has been prescribed for the purpose of inhalation. Medicinal cannabis products that are verified as meeting the minimum quality standard must state the route of administration on their labelling  […].

 

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CannaPlus+ believes that a medically approved vaporiser is the best form of vaporiser. Where a medically-approved vaporiser is unavailable, we believe that use of an alternative (non-medical) vaporiser is still a better option than smoking.

We encourage all our patients in the strongest possible terms not to smoke, and to that end, we offer free vaporiser education sessions to assist you in finding the best harm reduction vaping device possible within your given budget. Where we prescribe dried flower for vaporisation, our doctors may want to verify that the patient possesses a vaporiser.

For further information, the following links are available:

• Letter from Ministry of Health Regarding Non-Approved Dry Herb Vaporisers and Accessories
  (hosted by MCANZ, content retrieved as of 6^th November 2024).
• View CannaPlus+’s range of registered devices and accessories.