Cannabis Cultivation Compliance In New Zealand For Producers

Learn cannabis cultivation compliance requirements in New Zealand with this guide tailored for producers.

Cultivation compliance of cannabis in New Zealand is critical to ensuring that cultivators meet all regulatory requirements while producing high-quality cannabis. Meeting compliance standards can be overwhelming for many growers, from maintaining precise tracking records to adhering to strict security protocols. Compliance is essential for anyone seeking to enter the cannabis industry. Let’s discover the significance of cannabis compliance in New Zealand and provide valuable insights to help cultivators navigate the regulatory requirements more efficiently.

GrowerIQ’s cannabis production software is a valuable solution that helps cultivators streamline their compliance processes, ensuring they meet all necessary standards while maximizing efficiency. This software can ensure that your operations follow the requirements for cannabis cultivation in New Zealand, providing you with peace of mind as you focus on crafting high-quality cannabis products.

The Legality Of Cannabis In New Zealand

In New Zealand, the legality of cannabis is regulated under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. As of recent updates, cannabis remains illegal for recreational use. Possession, cultivation, and distribution of cannabis for non-medical purposes are prohibited and can result in criminal charges.

Medical Cannabis Regulations

Medical cannabis, on the other hand, is legal but strictly regulated. Patients can access medical cannabis through a prescription from a registered medical practitioner, and it must be obtained from approved sources. Cultivation for medical purposes is also allowed. However, you must first obtain a license before you can cultivate or produce legal cannabis.

CBD Products Regulations

Cannabidiol (CBD) products that meet the legal definition of containing less than 2% of trace THC are the only products doctors can prescribe without government approval, except in rare medical cases. The government has also approved Sativex, but it must be ordered overseas.

Hemp Regulations

According to the Misuse of Drugs (Industrial Hemp) Regulations of 2006, industrial hemp is also allowed in New Zealand as long as it has less than 0.35% THC and is produced by a licensed producer.

Related Reading

• Industrial Hemp in New Zealand

About New Zealand’s Medicinal Cannabis Scheme

The Medicinal Cannabis Scheme was set in motion on 1 April 2020 with the Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Regulations 2019. The Scheme aims to make high-quality medicinal cannabis products more accessible to patients in New Zealand. Patients can only obtain medicinal cannabis products on prescription from a doctor, ensuring safe and regulated access.

Regulatory Compliance in the Medicinal Cannabis Industry

Manufacturers and importers must present evidence to the Medicinal Cannabis Agency to validate that their products consistently meet the minimum quality standards before distribution within New Zealand. For those interested in working in the sector, a medicinal cannabis license is required, which specifies the activities a license holder can undertake, like commercial cultivation of cannabis or manufacturing or supplying medicinal cannabis products.

GrowerIQ: A Solution for Cannabis Producers

GrowerIQ provides cannabis growers a comprehensive solution for managing compliance and quality throughout the seed-to-sale process. Uncomplicate Your Hemp Production with our:

• Seed-to-Sale Tracking
• Quality Management
• Cultivation Planning

How To Get A Licence To Produce Medicinal Cannabis In New Zealand

A medicinal cannabis license issued by the Medicinal Cannabis Agency must be used for activities related to cultivation, seed supply, research, possession, and supply of medicinal cannabis. The license will specify the types of activities that can be undertaken by the licensee and individuals working under their authority. Depending on the scope of their business operations, a licensee may need more than one specified activity on their license.

Application Process and Inspection for Medicinal Cannabis Licenses

The Medicinal Cannabis Agency has set an application fee for a medicinal cannabis license to reflect the cost of processing applications and conducting inspections. The agency will inspect each location in your application to ensure adequate security arrangements. These inspections are crucial in determining the suitability of the facilities before issuing a license.

Eligibility Criteria for Medicinal Cannabis Licenses

• License applicants must be 18 years or older and reside in New Zealand.
• Must have the expertise and resources to comply with the regulations.
• Must not have had a previous license revoked or convicted of drug-related or dishonesty offenses. 
• For entities applying for a license, all directors or partners must meet the eligibility criteria and nominate a person responsible for controlling the activity or activities.

Additional Licenses and Requirements for the Medicinal Cannabis Industry

Depending on the nature of the business, additional licenses may be required, such as:

• A license to manufacture medicines under the Medicines Act 1981 
• A license to export controlled drugs for individual consignments

The fees for these licenses are separate from those for a medicinal cannabis license. It is essential to:

• Secure a location.
• Have adequate facilities.
• Fulfill all requirements before applying for a license in New Zealand.

Cannabis Cultivation Compliance In New Zealand

Medicinal cannabis minimum quality standard is crucial in ensuring that the products prescribed by medical practitioners in New Zealand meet specific quality standards and are consistent. 

Ensuring Compliance

To guarantee compliance with the medicinal cannabis minimum quality standard, suppliers of cannabis-based ingredients and medicinal cannabis products in New Zealand must provide evidence to the Medicinal Cannabis Agency that their products meet these standards. These assessments may include:

• Product assessments and supplying starting materials
• Cannabis-based ingredients
• Medicinal cannabis products for export

Exemptions and Compliance

Products may be exempted from meeting the minimum quality standard in specific situations, such as when they are supplied for clinical trials or studies under a medicinal cannabis license with a research activity or when they have consent or provisional consent for distribution under the Medicines Act 1981.

Export Regulations

For exporting starting cannabis materials or medicinal cannabis products, suppliers must obtain a license to export controlled drugs for each consignment and ensure that the importing country issues an import license.

Testing And Validation Of Testing Method

The medicinal cannabis minimum quality standard in New Zealand is determined by law. All suppliers must submit this validation to the Medicinal Cannabis Agency to provide evidence that cannabis-based ingredients, starting materials for export, and medicinal cannabis products meet the minimum standard. The testing requirements and maximum limits are based on the European Pharmacopoeia, which establishes quality standards for medicines and their components in New Zealand.

Microbial Contamination

To meet the minimum standard, medicinal cannabis must be tested for microbial contamination, ensuring a safe product for consumption. This includes testing for harmful microorganisms such as:

• Bacteria
• Molds
• Yeasts

Heavy Metals

Another essential aspect of testing is ensuring that medicinal cannabis products are free from heavy metals. High levels of heavy metals can pose serious health risks to consumers like:

• Lead
• Arsenic
• Mercury 

Pesticides

Testing for pesticides is crucial to ensuring that medicinal cannabis products are safe for consumption. Residue from pesticides used during cultivation can be harmful if ingested by patients, emphasizing the importance of this testing requirement.

Absence of Aflatoxins and Ochratoxin A

Aflatoxins and ochratoxin A are toxic substances produced by certain molds that can contaminate cannabis products. Testing for the absence of these toxins is vital to ensuring the safety and quality of medicinal cannabis products.

Foreign Matter, Loss on Drying, Total Ash, Residual Solvents

Additional qualities tested include:

• Foreign matter
• Loss on drying
• Total ash
• Residual solvents

Ensuring that medicinal cannabis products meet specific criteria for these qualities helps guarantee their safety and effectiveness for patients.

Quality Standard Compliance

Medicinal cannabis products must meet various other quality standards, including:

• Active ingredients
• Shelf life
• Storage conditions
• Container material
• Labeling
• Identification
• Dosage form
• Excipients
• Restrictions to control contamination

Laboratory Accreditation

Testing laboratories in New Zealand must comply with New Zealand GMP, and ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation is recognized as appropriate for laboratories testing starting export material. This accreditation ensures testing facilities adhere to strict quality standards to provide accurate and reliable results for medicinal cannabis products.

Related Reading

• Growing Medicinal Marijuana in New Zealand

New Zealand’s Cannabis Recordkeeping Requirements

The recordkeeping requirements in New Zealand are extensive, and you must adhere to GMP regulations. Even if you are only growing cannabis flower, you will need to keep meticulous records and start adhering to GMP regulations in the drying stage, when risks to product safety and quality begin.

While some countries delay implementing GMP until after the buds are dried and cured, New Zealand is much more strict and requires its cannabis cultivators to behave like pharmaceutical producers. This requires having:

• Defined manufacturing batch number system
• Developed specifications for the raw materials, finished product, and primary packaging components
• Established the manufacturing process and written standard operating procedures
• Established the control points and critical parameters for the process
• Finalized batch manufacturing and packing records
• Amount/quantity of plants cultivates
• Amounts/quantities of mother plants, seeds, and clones (and failed plants/seeds)
• Plant destruction records
• Sales and distribution records
• Cannabis inventory
• Seed-to-sale tracking

New Zealand does allow for the use of paper records, but with the strict requirements of their regulations, paper records are likely to become a liability. Their loss of destruction could result in significant losses in productivity. The solution is thus having software that is capable of seed-to-sale tracking and logging cultivation activities. Numerical data such as:

• Plant weight
• Handling of high-level quality management functions like CAPA and deviation reporting
• Record retention
• Quality control inspections

GrowerIQ’s seed-to-sale and quality management software can help you with all your cannabis-related operations, including compliance.

Uncomplicate Your Cannabis Production Today With GrowerIQ!

Cannabis growers in New Zealand face numerous challenges in managing reporting, documentation, and compliance requirements due to the:

• Complexity of regulatory frameworks
• Evolving legal standards
• The need for accurate record-keeping in a highly regulated industry

At GrowerIQ, our software offers a comprehensive solution for managing cultivation operations, ensuring compliance, optimizing quality, enhancing efficiency throughout the seed-to-sale process, and simplifying the production process overall.

Seed-to-Sale Tracking

Our software provides cannabis growers with an efficient seed-to-sale tracking system that allows for the seamless monitoring of every step in the cultivation process. With GrowerIQ, you can easily track the movement of plants, materials, and products, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and maintaining accurate records for all transactions.

Quality Management

Quality is crucial in the cannabis cultivation process, and our software offers a range of functionalities to assist growers in optimizing the quality of their products. From monitoring environmental conditions to analyzing plant health, GrowerIQ provides growers with the tools they need to enhance the quality of their cannabis products and ensure customer satisfaction.

Cultivation Planning

Efficient cultivation planning is essential for maximizing yields and ensuring a smooth production process. With GrowerIQ, cannabis growers can:

• Create detailed cultivation plans
• Track progress
• Adjust as needed to optimize their operations
• Achieve the best possible results

Compliance Assistance

Compliance is a top priority for cannabis growers, and our software simplifies meeting regulatory requirements and maintaining accurate records. GrowerIQ helps growers navigate the complexities of compliance by providing tools that ensure adherence to legal standards and streamline reporting processes.

Related Reading

• Medical Marijuana in New Zealand