Medicinal cannabis costs set to tumble after cheaper product gets green light

NZ Herald 16 October 2016
Family First Comment: Huhana sums up the need for caution perfectly….
“For Huhana Hickey, home-made was never an option. She says she has to know exactly what she’s taking. “I need the security and safety of having the product delivered and the knowledge that it is measured and not tainted with anything else. I can’t afford to take that physical or legal risk.”
The cost of medicinal cannabis is set to tumble after Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne approved a Canadian pain relief product.
It is estimated the marijuana-based tincture called Tilray will cost at least 50 per cent less than the existing legal product Sativex, a UK mouth spray made by GW Pharma.
Multiple sclerosis sufferer, Dr Huhana Hickey, who applied to use Tilray, said: “I’m so relieved. It’s going to save me $700 a month.”
The AUT academic says she has spent $9000 on prescriptions since she started taking medicinal cannabis in February. Hickey says the results have been remarkable.
“I’m living my life again. I’m back to work, I am fully-functioning”
She started using the spray to replace pain killers such as morphine, codeine, tramadol and other opiates which she had been prescribed for years.
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