Cannabis laws in New Zealand
Medical only
Recreational cannabis is illegal throughout New Zealand — visitors can seek a prescription, and may carry qualifying medicine under strict border conditions.
Official sources checked November 7, 2026. This is news information, not legal advice. Laws and local penalties change — confirm with the destination's official sources before you travel.
Before you fly
Carrying cannabis across a border is treated separately from possessing it inside the country. Even where buying is legal, taking it onto a plane can be a customs or smuggling offence, and a domestic flight can become an international one the moment you connect somewhere else.
Current law at a glance
- Buying as a visitor
- There are no legal recreational dispensaries. Medicinal cannabis is prescription-only, obtained through authorized healthcare and pharmacy channels, and a visitor needs appropriate clinical assessment rather than assuming a foreign cannabis card authorizes purchases.
- Possession
- There is no recreational possession allowance. Police guidance identifies a NZD 500 possession fine and distinguishes Class C plant cannabis from Class B oil and hashish. A complete current imprisonment schedule for each preparation was not independently verified.
- Smoking in public
- Unauthorized use is an offence whether public or private, and no separate nationwide cannabis street-smoking fine was verified. The medicinal scheme does not include products intended for smoking, so a prescription is not permission to smoke a joint publicly.
- Medical cannabis and home growing
- Medicinal access is prescription-based, and a prescription does not authorize home cultivation. Police guidance lists cultivation penalties up to seven years, with other sentencing routes also described; no personal plant allowance was verified.
- Borders
- For controlled medicinal cannabis, carry no more than one month's supply, declare it, and show it was lawfully supplied for medical treatment, with a prescription or doctor's letter and original labelled packaging. Official guidance says US-supplied medicinal cannabis other than qualifying CBD cannot be carried into or out of New Zealand, and you should not order medicinal cannabis from overseas for personal delivery.
- CBD
- Qualifying CBD products are distinguished from controlled cannabis products, so the one-month controlled-drug rule does not apply to CBD indiscriminately. Exact CBD personal-import conditions and preparation-specific illegal-import penalties are unverified, and export also requires destination legality.
Key dates and proposed changes
1975
The Misuse of Drugs Act supplies the national controlled-drug framework, including possession, use, cultivation and trafficking offences.
1 April 2020
The Medicinal Cannabis Scheme commenced.
Ministry of Health — medicinal cannabis information for consumers
7 November 2026 — sources checked
Current official guidance confirms prescription-only access and conditional one-month carriage of controlled medicines as the verified traveler routes.
Ministry of Health — medicinal cannabis information for consumersMinistry of Health — bringing medicines into New Zealand
Practical questions
Can I buy weed in New Zealand?
Not recreationally. A clinician may prescribe an appropriate medicinal product for pharmacy supply.
Ministry of Health — medicinal cannabis information for consumers
Can I smoke on the street?
Unauthorized cannabis use is illegal. Medicinal products intended for smoking are excluded from the medicinal scheme, so do not treat a prescription as blanket public-smoking permission.
New Zealand Police — illicit drug offences and penaltiesMinistry of Health — medicinal cannabis definitions and prescribing
Can a visitor get medical cannabis or grow their own?
Seek a local authorized prescriber for assessment. A prescription does not create a personal cultivation exemption.
Ministry of Health — medicinal cannabis information for consumersNew Zealand Police — cannabis and the law
Can I bring it in or fly home with it?
Only qualifying medical carriage: declare the controlled medicine, carry evidence of lawful supply and no more than one month. US-supplied non-CBD cannabis is specifically excluded, and you must check destination rules before departure.
What about CBD?
CBD meeting the statutory definition is treated differently from controlled medicinal cannabis but remains regulated. Confirm your product's traveler conditions with the Ministry — a retail CBD label is insufficient.
Ministry of Health — medicinal cannabis definitions and prescribingMinistry of Health — bringing medicines into New Zealand
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