NZ bureaucracy ‘goes mad’ on CBD

New Zealand hemp grower and trader Larry’s Gold had its CBD products ordered off the market by Medsafe, the country’s medicines authority, which threatened the company with a $66,000 (~€56,000) fine and loss of its hemp license. Medsafe said the two products, EPIK Daily Drops and EPIK Hemp Balm are medicines under New Zealand rules because they contain CBD. The company, which has held an industrial hemp license since 2016, disputes the claim, but has withdrawn the products, leaving it with several thousand dollars worth of stock it cannot sell. Sarah Gibson of Larry’s Gold, based in Reefton, NZ, said the move reflects “bureaucracy gone mad.”