The Government is proposing to change the medicinal cannabis bill to cover people in palliative care, so "more people can get access to medicinal cannabis faster".
Health Minister David Clark announced the planned amendments saying the legislation "will greatly increase availability of quality medicinal cannabis products and will allow for their domestic manufacture".
"It will mean many New Zealanders living in pain will have another option to find relief," he said.
The changes mean people in palliative care would have a defence to use illicit cannabis, instead of just those with terminal illness with 12 months or less to live.
There would also be a requirement for the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme to be created in the year after the new law comes in, and "make technical changes to the description of allowable THC thresholds" in the medicinal products.
"The statutory defence for people who are nearing the end of their live to possess or use illicit cannabis is a compassionate measure to ease suffering and improve quality of life," Dr Clark said.
He said NZ First pushed for the defence to cover those in palliation, covering about 25,000 New Zealanders.
Jenny Marcroft of NZ First said applying the defence to those in palliation was "an important language change".
"Those requiring palliation are seriously ill, and the focus of treatment is on improving their quality of life," she said.
Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick said her party negotiated for a local licencing, production, prescription and consumption regime by the end of 2019.
"We have also made sure that NZ strains of medicinal cannabis can be used in the scheme so that a domestic market can be developed rather than relying on imported products."
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