Predictors of medicinal cannabis users’ willingness to utilise a new prescription Medicinal Cannabis Scheme in New Zealand

Aim: To investigate medicinal cannabis users’ intentions to transition to the new prescription Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (MCS) in New Zealand.

Method: An online survey of 3,634 past-year medicinal cannabis users completed prior to implementation of the MCS in New Zealand in April 2020. Logistic regression models were fitted to identify predictors of intended future engagement with the MCS.

Results: Seventy-eight percent of respondents were aware of the new MCS and 66% intended to use it. Higher income (OR=1.57), younger age (OR=1.02) and smoking cannabis (v. vaping (OR=2.0) or oral ingestion in edible form (OR=2.22)) predicted intention to engage with the MCS. Conversely, Māori (OR=0.63) and those who grew their own cannabis (OR=0.52) were less likely to intend to engage with the new prescription MCS.

Conclusion: The lower intended engagement with the MCS by Māori, lower income groups and those who home-grow cannabis may reflect their perceptions of the MCS as restrictive and expensive.