Australian medicinal cannabis telehealth business Dispensed is set to launch in New Zealand in a move that has created unease across the Tasman.
The firm is understood to be scouting for sites to install kiosks, including in vape shops.
Reports quoting a Dispensed spokesperson said the NZ operation was locally owned and operated, and “would operate in New Zealand as a software platform”.
The kiosks will be designed to enable patients to “sign up for a medical service tailored to their specific needs”, connecting them to “experienced natural medicine doctors, weight-loss doctors, hair-loss doctors, and practitioners specialising in smoking cessation”.
The spokesperson said retail stores would “make up a minority of installation sites”, according to Stuff, which said it obtained emails relating to the launch.
Dispensed said the kiosks would be available in “pharmacies, chiropractor clinics, naturopathic clinics and physiotherapy clinics”.
But Stuff claimed emails showed vape shops had also been contacted by the company and told it was a way “to generate a recurring income stream in this industry”.
Those participating clinics would pay a fee per customer to use the kiosks.
“This model is a standard fee-for-service technology arrangement and will operate in full compliance with New Zealand’s legal and regulatory framework,” the Dispensed spokesperson said.
Sally King, New Zealand Medical Cannabis Council (NZMCC) executive director, said she was “not happy” to see non-medical professional environments used as access points for medicinal cannabis.
“It isn’t, in our view, an appropriate environment,” she was reported as saying. “That is very unusual. It is just not the right medical environment in my mind… I sincerely hope they rethink it.”
Dispensed said the platform “does not influence clinical decision-making”.
Prescriptions issued are at the discretion of the prescribing doctor, who follows all legal and ethical obligations, the spokesperson said.
“Patient safety is our highest priority, and we require all healthcare professionals using our system to exercise sound clinical judgment, adhere to best practices, and follow appropriate monitoring protocols for responsible and ethical patient care.”
