Smoking Tolerance Level
[1= very illegal 5=virtually legal]: 3
Marijuana Laws & Legislation for Dunedin
Marijuana is legal for medical use in New Zealand, with cannabis-based treatments available for patients with specific conditions, such as chronic pain or cancer, as of 2025. Medical cannabis has been legal since 2018, and access is granted through a prescription system. In 2020, New Zealand held a referendum on recreational marijuana, but the proposal to fully legalize marijuana for recreational use was narrowly defeated. Despite this, marijuana decriminalization continues to be a topic of debate. In certain regions, possession of small amounts of cannabis is treated with fines or warnings rather than criminal prosecution. Cannabis cultivation for personal use is still illegal, but medical cannabis production and research continue to expand.
Please note that marijuana laws are subject to change. For the most current information, consult your countries official resources or legal counsel.
Law Enforcement
If you are a tourist the cops are unlikely to bust you. Most police are too busy with other things to go out looking for marijuana users. Just put on your thickest accent and ask ‘which way to the information center’. Feign ignorance as much as possible and most likely they will only confiscate your stash.
Where to buy marijuana:
Dunedin (aka ‘Dunsterdam’)is full of good weed. Students at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand meet twice a week on the Otago University Union Lawn to smoke marijuana in a large group as a protest against prohibition. Every Wednesday and Friday at 4:20pm 50-100 people gather on the Union Lawn and light up and enjoy each other’s company. The weekly sessions have been running for almost five years now and have become a mecca for tourists and other cannabis enthusiasts who find themselves in Dunedin on a Wednesday or Friday.
Marijuana Prices
NZ$25 for a ‘tinnie’ (approx 1 gram, range from 0.5g-2.5g)
NZ$50 for a ’50 bag’ (approx 3.5 grams [one eighth])
NZ$250-350 for one ounce, depending on quality
Marijuana Brands
Largely delineated into ‘bush’ (outdoor) and ‘skunk’ (indoor). Because of the excellent climate and outdoor growing conditions, New Zealand outdoor can be very high quality and even indistinguishable from indoor.
More Information
The most popular way of smoking bud in NZ is ‘spots’, which entails squeezing a small piece of bud between two hot knives and capturing the smoke produced in a plastic or glass bottle with the bottom cut off.