Misuse of Drugs (Controlled Drugs—Designated Prescriber Nurses and Designated Prescriber Pharmacists) Amendment Regulations 2026
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2026/18
Misuse of Drugs (Controlled Drugs—Designated Prescriber Nurses and Designated Prescriber Pharmacists) Amendment Regulations 2026
Cindy Kiro, Governor-General
Order in Council
At Wellington this 23rd day of February 2026
Present:
Her Excellency the Governor-General in Council
These regulations are made under section 37 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 on the advice and with the consent of the Executive Council.
Regulations
1 Title
These regulations are the Misuse of Drugs (Controlled Drugs—Designated Prescriber Nurses and Designated Prescriber Pharmacists) Amendment Regulations 2026.
2 Commencement
These regulations come into force on 26 March 2026.
3 Principal regulations
These regulations amend the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1977.
4 Schedule 1A amended
(1)
In Schedule 1A, insert in their appropriate alphabetical order:
Clobazam
Ketamine
Midazolam
Oxycodone
Phentermine
(2)
In Schedule 1A, item relating to Buprenorphine, delete “, transdermal only”
.
(3)
In Schedule 1A, revoke the item relating to Buprenorphine with naloxone.
(4)
In Schedule 1A, item relating to Clonazepam, delete “, for anxiety and panic disorder only”
.
(5)
In Schedule 1A, item relating to Diazepam, delete “, oral only”
.
(6)
In Schedule 1A, item relating to Fentanyl, delete “, transdermal only”
.
(7)
In Schedule 1A, item relating to Methadone, delete “, oral only”
.
5 Schedule 1B amended
In Schedule 1B, insert in its appropriate numerical order:
10A
Ketamine
Rachel Hayward,
Clerk of the Executive Council.
Explanatory note
This note is not part of the regulations but is intended to indicate their general effect.
These regulations, which come into force on 26 March 2026, amend the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1977 to—
add clobazam, ketamine, midazolam, oxycodone, and phentermine to the list of controlled drugs that designated prescriber nurses may prescribe in certain circumstances in Schedule 1A:
remove buprenorphine with naloxone from the list of controlled drugs that designated prescriber nurses may prescribe in certain circumstances in Schedule 1A, as well as removing restrictions on certain controlled drugs on that list:
add ketamine to the list of controlled drugs that designated prescriber pharmacists may prescribe in Schedule 1B.
Date of notification in Gazette: 26 February 2026.
These regulations are administered by the Ministry of Health.
Versions
Misuse of Drugs (Controlled Drugs—Designated Prescriber Nurses and Designated Prescriber Pharmacists) Amendment Regulations 2026
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