19/04/2016
MEDIA RELEASE

The Cannabis Party

Dunne claims cannabis is a pharmaceutical

Dunne is wrong to claim that medical cannabis is a pharmaceutical-only product, the Cannabis Party says.

Medical cannabis is actually a herbal medicine and should be treated like any other herbal medicine, leader Julian Crawford said.

"In 24 US states it can be bought in its natural form from non-pharmaceutical dispensaries," he said.

"No pharmaceutical company will be able to patent cannabis in its natural form, making it unviable for them."

Dunne said at the UN today, "if cannabis is to be used for medical purposes, it must be subject to the same testing processes as any other therapeutic pharmaceuticals. New Zealand also calls on the pharmaceutical industry to step up and invest more in its research and development of cannabis-based products."

Dunne has been influenced by the pharmaceutical lobby, which is the biggest lobby group fighting against legal cannabis.

"Most New Zealanders wont be able to afford the millions of dollars required to bring a product to market," Crawford said.

"Few pharma companies will want to invest in medical cannabis, given herbal medicines can't be patented and medical cannabis competes with their existing drugs."

ENDS

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