New Zealand Drug Trend Survey Shows Increase in Medicinal Cannabis Prescriptions w/ Associate Professor Marta Rychert: 14th January, 2025

The New Zealand Drug Trend Survey (NZDTS) for 2024 has been released, and results have revealed an increase in participation in the 2020 Medicinal Cannabis Scheme. 

The percentage of people with prescriptions for medicinal cannabis increased from just 9% in 2022 and 2023, to 37% last year, while the percentage of users who have never asked for prescriptions decreased from 85% to 60%.

Producer Athena spoke to Associate Professor at the Massey University College of Health, Marta Rychert, about the medicinal benefits of cannabis, and what the survey results suggest about the current culture surrounding cannabis.