Kia ora Spencer

 

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act), received by the Ministry of Health on 19 June 2025. You requested:

 

Pursuant to the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following
information concerning Medsafe’s involvement in the regulation of the
industrial hemp (iHemp) sector, including cannabidiol (CBD) and low-THC
cannabis:

1. **Regulatory Role**
  All documentation outlining Medsafe’s regulatory, compliance, or quality
assurance functions related to industrial hemp, CBD, or low-THC cannabis.
This includes internal policy documents, guidelines, briefing papers, risk
assessments, or legislative advice prepared since 1 January 2018.

2. **Interagency Duplication or Role Clarity**
  Any internal or interagency communications (including emails, meeting
minutes, reports, or discussion papers) involving Medsafe and:

* Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI),
  * Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE),
  * Ministry for the Environment (MfE),
    that refer to:
  * overlapping roles or functions,
  * shared responsibilities,
  * duplicated processes or regulatory uncertainty in relation to hemp
regulation.

3. **Shared Oversight Responsibilities**
  Any contracts, operational procedures, or consultation reports involving
Medsafe and other agencies that describe:

* joint involvement in product testing, compliance activities, or
licensing,
  * shared or duplicated oversight of industrial hemp or hemp-derived
compounds.

4. **Performance Reviews or Evaluations**
  All reviews, evaluations, or internal assessments conducted or received
by Medsafe since 1 January 2018 regarding:

* the effectiveness, efficiency, or appropriateness of Medsafe’s role in
the regulation of hemp products,
  * any identified redundancies, inefficiencies, or jurisdictional
confusion across agencies.

I request that the information be provided in electronic format, if
possible. If any aspect of this request is likely to be refused, please
advise me of the reason under the relevant sections of the Act.
 

 

The reference number for your request is H2025068833. As required under
the Act, the Ministry will endeavour to respond to your request no later
than 20 working days after the day your request was
received: [1]http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/

 

If you have any queries related to this request, please do not hesitate to
get in touch ([2][email address]).

 

 

Ngâ mihi 
 
OIA Services Team 
[3]Ministry of Health information releases 

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References

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1. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
2. mailto:[email address]
3. https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...

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