Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Waseem Alzaher: Cannabis Clinic CEO on David Seymour's push to bolster medicinal cannabis production and exports in NZ

Transcript

Waseem Alzaher: Cannabis Clinic CEO on David Seymour's push to bolster medicinal cannabis production and exports in NZ · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: David Seymour thinks the medicinal cannabis industry could be an
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: untapped gold mine export levels similar to our wine industry.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: In twenty twenty four we sent over a ton of
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: locally grown cannabis for our overseas, which is more than
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: double the year before that. Dr Jassim elves A here
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: is with US Cannabis Clinics CEO.
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: Good morning Modern Ryon, thanks for having me.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Good to have you on the show. So what's holding
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: us back from growing this even further?
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: What's holding us back here is not being able to
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: use the products that are grown in New Zealand locally, Ryan,
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: We've got a lot of cannabis companies growing cannabis here
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: locally extracting it. That product is being sent offshore to Australia,
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: UK and other places in forms that we can't even
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: get here in New Zealand. And as prescribers here in
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: the country, we're faced with this dilemma where we have
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: the product in our own backyard, but we can't prescribe
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: it because of regulatory hurdles that Kiwis can't meet, these
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: Conese can't meet, which is incredibly disappointing because.
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: It's a high threshold for a pharmaceutical grade, isn't it.
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: That's the problem, Yeah, exactly, And I think the regulations
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: here in New Zealand are out of line with where
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: we are internationally. So I've had people with Kiwi products
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: from Australia fly over to New Zealand and show me
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: their medicines. And we've got thirty plus doctors here who
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: wants to prescribe cannabis but are restricted. They can't prescribe
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: that product. And it's locally grown here in our own backyard.
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: And so it's really a calling for us from the
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: regulatory point of view to keep up with what people
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: actually need here in New Zealand.
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: Who are you prescribing it too? And how many people
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: are using it in New Zealand.
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: At the moment, there's about one hundred and twenty two
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: hundred and fifty thousand people in New Zealand have been
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: prescribed cannabis. And honestly, right, it's all walks of life.
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: It's you know, you name it, anxiety, sleeping issues, younger people,
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: middle age, older, anybody who was looking to improve the
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: quality of life. Where As a condition that hasn't been
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: improved with conventional treatment comes to us seeking alternatives, and
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: we live in a day and age where there's so
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: many chronic conditions and so many people suffering that people
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: are looking for natural options, something plant based, something that
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: has worked for thousands of years in human history and
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: now is accessible via doctors. So it makes sense. And
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: we do have products. I mean, we are prescribing here
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: in New Zealand. We've got about sixty products that are available,
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: but it's growing very slowly. And I think although it
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: is growing that it has been a success bringing medicinal
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: cannabis to New Zealand, there's so much more. We could
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: be doing, so much more in terms of bringing these
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: Kiwi products in the hands of patients. Something ours down
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: at Puro and Blenheim just a month back and we
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: were standing in the middle of these fields of cannabis
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: that's been grown outdoors, just beautiful plants, all being sported
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: overseas because they are not able to create the product
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: there requirements.
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: Can't pass the red box. Appreciate your time this morning.
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: Dr Vassim Alzahir Cannabis connects CEO.
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: For more from early edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: to news talks. It'd be from five am weekdays, or
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.