Tighter rules for medicinal cannabis come into force tomorrow cutting possibly thousands of patients off from accessing their preferred treatment.
Medsafe has only verified four drugs for use from 1 October, with bulk importing stopping for at least 13 other products currently supplied that aren't verified.
Medsafe says patients can still access these products by getting their doctor to prescribe and import it for them but the end of bulk importing means the prices could double.
But Katy Thomas, whose epileptic seven-year-old son uses medicinal cannabis, says law changes to allow medicinal cannabis are failing.
It's feared many medicinal cannabis users might now be forced to turn to the black market.
Green MP Chloe Swarbrick says there needs to be an extension to current rules, to allow changes to be worked out fairly.
She spoke to Susie Ferguson.
In a statement to RNZ, Medsafe's group manager Chris James said to date four products have been verified as meeting the minimum quality standard, others are currently being assessed.
The key difference with the transition period coming to an end is that companies cannot import bulk supply of unverified product for supply.
Patients can still access unverified products after the transition period ends - either the doctor can prescribe and import directly for their specific patient or the doctor can ask their local pharmacy to import product directly pursuant to a prescription.
