In New Zealand, minorities, women, and lower-income people are less likely to get medical cannabis prescriptions and anticipate physician refusal | Research

The takeaway

A survey of 1,742 New Zealand medical cannabis users found ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic disparities in who obtains prescriptions, with Maori, Pacific Peoples, females, and lower-income users less likely to have prescriptions and more likely to expect physician refusal.

New Zealand health policymakers, medical cannabis prescribers, health equity researchers

Ethnic, gender, and income disparities limit medical cannabis prescription access in New Zealand

What the researchers found

Mental health (73.8%), sleep (71.6%), and pain (59.5%) were the top conditions treated. 41.5% of female users treated women's health conditions. Prescriptions were less common among females, Maori, Pacific Peoples, and lower-income earners. Those aged 60+, tertiary educated, earning above $60,000, and treating specific conditions were more likely to hold prescriptions. Younger, unemployed, Maori, or Pacific individuals were more likely to avoid requesting prescriptions due to anticipated physician refusal.

Why it matters

New Zealand implemented a legal medical cannabis scheme in 2020, but access disparities persist. This study shows that the gap between who uses cannabis medically and who gets a prescription follows predictable socioeconomic and ethnic lines.

The numbers in context

10,781 survey respondents; 1,742 medicinal users analyzed; mental health 73.8%, sleep 71.6%, pain 59.5%; 41.5% of females treating women's health; disparities for Maori, Pacific Peoples, females, income below $60,000

How the study worked

Anonymous online survey (New Zealand Drug Trends Survey) via Meta platforms, completed by 10,781 New Zealanders aged 16+ in 2024. Analysis focused on 1,742 respondents using cannabis primarily for medicinal purposes in the past 6 months. Logistic regression models predicted prescription access and physician support perceptions.

What this study cannot tell us

Online survey via Meta may not reach all populations equally. Self-selected sample of cannabis users. New Zealand-specific findings may not generalize. Cannot determine whether physician refusal is actual or only anticipated.

How to read the evidence

Moderate: large sample with appropriate regression methods, but online recruitment via Meta may introduce selection bias and findings are specific to New Zealand.

When this study was published

2026 publication from a 2024 survey, four years after NZ's medical cannabis scheme launched.

The bigger picture

Access disparities in medical cannabis mirror broader healthcare inequities seen across many conditions and countries. Establishing legal access is necessary but insufficient if structural barriers prevent equitable use.

Questions still open

Would training GPs in medical cannabis reduce ethnic and income disparities? Are physicians actually refusing prescriptions at different rates for different groups, or is anticipated refusal the main barrier? How does New Zealand compare to other countries with medical cannabis schemes?

Common questions

What do New Zealanders use medical cannabis for?

The top conditions were mental health (73.8%), sleep (71.6%), and pain (59.5%). Among female users, 41.5% were also treating women's health conditions.

Why don't some medical cannabis users get prescriptions?

Barriers include anticipating physician refusal (especially among younger, unemployed, Maori, or Pacific individuals), cost, and lack of clinician familiarity with prescribing medical cannabis.

Read the original research

Demographic Predictors of Medicinal Cannabis Users' Perceived Level of Physician Support for Medicinal Cannabis Prescriptions in New Zealand.

Drug and alcohol review, 45(1), e70063

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Withanarachchie, Vinuli; Wilkins, Chris; Parker, Karl; Rychert, Marta. (2026). Demographic Predictors of Medicinal Cannabis Users' Perceived Level of Physician Support for Medicinal Cannabis Prescriptions in New Zealand.. Drug and alcohol review, 45(1), e70063. https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.70063