New Zealand: class distinctions, official figures, 10 history entries, 1975 article

Traffic enforcement; driving is not one of the six scored segments.

A referendum on a detailed bill for a regulated market was lost by 50.7% to 48.4%, the closest any country has come. The proposal would have allowed adults to legalising by popular votebuy and grow limited amounts, but it did not become law.

The Misuse of Drugs Act put cannabis in1975 replaced the Narcotics Act 1965 and created three classes of controlled drug. Cannabis went into Class C,; the lowestcurrent Schedule 3 lists the plant, fruit and seed there, while cannabis preparations such as hashish and oil are Class B. The maximum for possession becamePossession or use carried up to three months in prison or a NZ$500 fine, withand a presumption against imprisonmentcourt could not impose a custodial sentence for a Class C-only offence unless there were previous convictions or exceptional circumstances. The Act is still the governing statute.

New Zealand Legislation — Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 (consolidated to 27 November 2025) New Zealand Law Commission — Controlling and Regulating Drugs: A Review of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 (NZLC R122) Wikipedia — Cannabis in New Zealand

new-zealand-narcotics-act-1965, new-zealand-police-discretion-2019, new-zealand-referendum-2020

Restricted one commercial use of cannabis, not possession, cultivation or supply; no score change.

Definitional change to the plant schedule; penalties were unchanged, so no score step.

Possession is a criminal offence with a maximum of three months' prison or a NZ$500 fine. For a Class C plant or seed offence, andthere is a legal presumption against imprisonment unless there are previous convictions or exceptional circumstances; Class B preparations do not have that custody presumption.[@mohmda,pmcsa] Since August 2019 police must consider whether a health-based response would be mo … and the 2019 discretion in its [amendment](/history/new-zealand-police-discretion-2019/).

moh, pmcsa, mda

label Ordinary Class B/C personal possession · treatment criminal · term Possession · prison 3 months · fine 500 · note LegalClass C only has the presumption against imprisonment; health response considered first

Growing cannabis is a criminal offence, with up to seven years on indictment.[@pmcsa] The one exception is low-THC hemp, at most 1% THC by dry weight: since 28 May 20 … sts a year.[@hemp_regs,police_hemp] It gives no right to grow cannabis to use.[@hemp_regs]

label Growing cannabis (on indictment) · treatment criminal · term Unlicensed cultivation · prison 7 years, label Hemp growing wi … · note Notify Police and MPI; 1% THC max; one-year notification; no right to grow for use

Warnings and health referrals have reduced user prosecutions since 2019, although many people are still charged.[@moh,nh] Ordinary Class B/C personal possession can carry up to three months and/or NZ$500. The Class C presumption against imprisonment does not apply to Class B preparations.[@mda] Supply accusations have different penalties: up to fourteen years for Class B preparations … tion 6. The supply presumptions differ by form and can be rebutted.[@police_penalties,mda]

Since April 2020 the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme licenseshas licensed commercial cultivation and manufacture of medicinal cannabis under the Misuse of Drugs Act and the 2019 regulations.[@moh_industry] Since 28 May 2026 low-THC hemp (at most 1% THC) may be grown, processed and supplied within New Zealand without a licence for specified purposes, after the grower notifies Police and the Ministry for Primary Industries.[@hemp_regs] Importing and exporting hemp plants and seed still needs a licence.[@hemp_regs]

pmcsamoh_industry, ref, hemp_regs, moh_hemp

Any doctor or nurse practitioner can prescribe approveda verified medicinal cannabis productsproduct for any condition; pharmacist prescribers are limited to CBD and some Class B1 dosage products.[@pmcsa] Products are unsubsidised and costly.[@pmcsa] Prescription flower and oils must meet the scheme's quality standard; otherwise only hempCBD products made from lowmeeting the legal definition are prescription-THC plantsonly medicines, such as seed and fibre products — not every use of hemp flowersflower or extractsleaf is allowednot a food.[@pmcsa,moh_hemp] The scheme's launch is traced in the [2020 scheme](/history/new-zealand-medicinal-scheme-2020/).

Hemp at most 1% THC may be grown without a licence for specified purposes since May 2026, … o use, and importing or exporting hemp plants and seed still needs a licence.[@hemp_regs] CBD remains prescription-only, and hemp leaf or flower is not a food.[@moh_hemp]

hemp_regs, moh_hemp

Since 28 May 2026, qualifying hemp seeds, seedlings and cuttings may be held, procured, so … C cultivars are not hemp, even when young material itself contains little THC.[@moh_hemp] Ordinary cannabis seed is a Class C controlled drug, so possessing or germinating it remains an offence; only qualifying hemp material is outside the licence requirement.[@mda,hemp_regs] Importing or exporting whole hemp seed or plant material still needs a licence.[@hemp_regs, moh_hemp]

hemp_regs, moh_hemp, mda

There is no legal recreational supply for anyone, so a visitor has no lawful way to buy cannabis.[@ref] Whatever legal supply exists is medical, for patients with a prescription or registration.[@pmcsa] The sources behind this profile describe no separate ruleA visitor may bring a prescribed medicinal cannabis product for visitorspersonal use with a copy of the prescription or a prescriber's letter; there is no recreational route.[@healthnz]

ref, pmcsa, healthnz

Police can stop any driver and screen saliva at the roadside for four drugs, THC among them.[@pdd2] Testing began in Wellington on 15 December 2025, with a national roll-out planned from April and went nationwide on 1 July 2026.[@pdd1,pdd5] The device reacts only at or above a built-in threshold, which police say is set to show … may apply afterwards for a medical defence if they took the medicine as prescribed.[@pdd4]

lab2025, pdd1, pdd2, pdd3, pdd4, pdd5

Ministry of Justice figures reported in March 2026 show 3,438 people charged with possessi … , and that the charge figures leave out the warnings officers give for possession.[@zb26] Official court finalisations for the year to 30 June 2026 show 5,690 cannabis charges and 3,543 people charged, down slightly from 5,854 and 3,606; 2,551 people were convicted, 558 received imprisonment as the most serious sentence, and 464 of 2,596 conviction instances were cannabis-only.[@moj26]

zb26, moj26

Figures reported by the government to the UN drugs office record 1,136 kg of herbal cannab … count seizures differently, so the figures are not comparable across borders.[@unodc_szr] Police plant-material seizures are larger and measured differently: Operation Beryl reported more than 10 tonnes in 2025 and Operation Blackout more than five tonnes in 2026, counted as cannabis material rather than dried herb.[@beryl25,blackout26]

unodc_szr, beryl25, blackout26

Electoral Commission — Official referendum results released (6 November 2020) NZ Ministry of Health — Overview of the medicinal cannabis licensing scheme (May 2026) Health New Zealand — Medicinal cannabis New Zealand Police — Roadside drug testing operating nationwide (16 July 2026) NZ Ministry of Justice — Cannabis offences data tables, year to 30 June 2026 New Zealand Police — Operation Beryl: 120 cannabis grow houses (25 September 2025) New Zealand Police — Operation Blackout (25 August 2026) Wikipedia — 2020 New Zealand cannabis referendum 18 unchanged

NZD

label Selling or supplying Class C cannabis · treatment criminal · term Supply · prison 8 years, label Supplying Class C cannabis to a person under 18 · treatment criminal · term Supply to a minor · prison 8 years, label Giving Class C cannabis without sale · treatment criminal · term Gift · prison 3 months · fine 500, label Supplying Class B cannabis · treatment criminal · term Supply · prison 14 years, label Possession for supply · treatment criminal · term Possession for supply · prison 14 years · note 8 years for Class C plant, 14 for Class B preparations