Cannabis Tea vs Hemp Tea: What’s the Difference?

Introduction

If you’ve been searching for cannabis tea, hemp tea, or the difference between hemp tea and cannabis tea, it’s easy to assume they’re basically the same thing. They’re not.

In New Zealand, cannabis tea can refer to a prescribed route of administration for certain dried cannabis flower products that have been verified as meeting the minimum quality standard under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme. Hemp tea, by contrast, sits in the food and low-THC hemp space, which follows a different regulatory pathway altogether. The distinction matters because access, cannabinoid content, preparation, and the role of your doctor are all different.

That means this is not just a naming issue. It affects what a product is, how it is used, and whether it belongs in a clinical conversation or a food conversation.

Medically reviewed by Dr. William Parkyn

What is hemp tea?

“Hemp” and “cannabis” come from the same plant species, Cannabis sativa, but in New Zealand law industrial hemp is defined much more narrowly. As of 28 May 2026, low-THC hemp sits under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1977, with cultivation governed by a notification and permission-based system (growers notify NZ Police and the Ministry for Primary Industries before planting). The THC limit for industrial hemp is now up to 1% of dry weight. That reform applies to cultivation, not food, so it does not change what is permitted in the hemp food category. In the food setting, the rules specifically recognise hemp seed food products rather than medicinal cannabis products.

That is where the term hemp tea can get muddy. In everyday language, people use it to describe all kinds of non-prescription teas linked to hemp. But in New Zealand, the food rules have historically been tighter than that broad consumer label suggests.

When hemp seed foods were allowed to be sold as food, the Ministry for Primary Industries made it clear that hemp flowers and leaves are not permitted in this food category. An imported “Green Tea Hemp” product was later recalled because it used hemp leaves instead of seeds and contained CBD and THC levels not allowed in food products.¹ A separate Food Standards Australia New Zealand application that sought to permit low-THC hemp leaf, seed sprout and root as food in Australia and New Zealand was ultimately withdrawn.²

So when people talk about hemp tea, they are usually talking about something marketed in the food or herbal tea space, not a prescribed medicinal cannabis product.

That is an important distinction. Aotearoa’s own consultation material also makes the split clear: hemp seed food products are regulated as food with active cannabinoid levels kept very low, while cannabis products intended for any therapeutic purpose follow a different regulatory pathway altogether. CBD derived from flowers and leaves is treated differently again, because it sits in prescription medicine territory rather than in the ordinary food framework.

What is cannabis tea?

In New Zealand clinical practice, cannabis tea is something much more specific. On the Ministry’s minimum quality standard page, the Ministry of Health separates dried cannabis flower into different verified dosage forms.³ One category is dried cannabis flower for inhalation via a vaporiser.

Another is dried cannabis flower for preparing tea for oral consumption. The Ministry states that these tea products are Class C1 controlled drugs, that they meet the minimum quality standard for preparing tea for oral consumption, and that they do not meet the minimum quality standard for inhalation.

That matters for anyone wondering how to use medicinal cannabis flower. The answer is not “however you prefer”. It depends on what the specific product has been verified for, and what your clinician has prescribed. Some dried flower products are verified for vaporisation. Some are verified for tea. Those routes are not interchangeable.

The Ministry’s consumer guidance also confirms that medicinal cannabis products in New Zealand are available in different formulations, including dried cannabis material for use as a tea or via inhalation through a vaporiser, as well as dosage forms such as tablets or capsules. It also notes that medicinal cannabis products may contain CBD, THC, or a combination of the two, and that products which do not meet the definition of a CBD product are controlled drugs.

It is also important to keep the compliance framing clear. Products that meet the minimum quality standard are not approved medicines. That means the minimum quality standard is about quality and consistency, not a full assessment of safety and efficacy in the way an approved medicine is assessed.

Cannabis tea vs hemp tea

The biggest difference between cannabis tea vs hemp tea is not the cup. It is the regulatory and clinical context.

Hemp tea belongs to the low-THC hemp and food space. New Zealand rules for hemp foods are built around hemp seed food products, and regulators have explicitly said that products with therapeutic effects must follow a different pathway. The same consultation material also states that active cannabinoids in compliant hemp foods are kept very low and are not intended for any therapeutic purpose, and that CBD from flowers and leaves sits outside the ordinary food pathway.

Cannabis tea, on the other hand, belongs to the prescription medicine and controlled drug space. It may be prepared from prescribed dried cannabis flower that has been verified by the Medicinal Cannabis Agency (part of the Ministry of Health) as meeting the minimum quality standard for tea as a route of administration.

Access is through a prescriber, not through a supermarket or general retail shelf. The Ministry’s consumer advice is clear that medicinal cannabis products are only available on prescription, and that the safe and legal route is through a doctor, nurse practitioner or pharmacist prescriber. It also explicitly says you cannot simply order medicinal cannabis from overseas for yourself.

The cannabinoid discussion is different too. If people search for cannabis tea effects or does cannabis tea get you high, the truthful answer is that it depends on the cannabinoid profile of the prescribed product, especially the presence or absence of THC. That is exactly why the conversation belongs with a clinician. Hemp food products are regulated to keep active cannabinoid levels very low and are not intended for any therapeutic purpose, while prescribed medicinal cannabis products may contain THC, CBD, or both, depending on what has been prescribed.

There is also a practical difference in who guides the process. With hemp tea, people tend to think in consumer terms: what is on the label, what shop sells it, how it tastes.

With cannabis tea, the central question is clinical: is this route appropriate for you, what other medicines are you taking, and what instructions apply to the specific product you’ve been prescribed? The Ministry states that health professionals are best placed to decide whether a medicinal cannabis product is suitable, based on medical history, other medicines, and an assessment of risks and benefits.

So if you are comparing cannabis tea and hemp tea, the safest summary is this: hemp tea is a food-space term; cannabis tea is a clinical, prescription-space term.

How to make cannabis tea from prescribed flower

If you are searching how to make cannabis tea, cannabis flower tea, or medicinal cannabis tea instructions, the authoritative starting point in New Zealand is the Ministry’s minimum quality standard product page, not a generic internet recipe. The Ministry publishes generic instructions for preparing dried cannabis flower tea and explicitly notes that those directions do not encompass all tea products.

At a high level, the Ministry’s instructions involve grinding the prescribed flower, simmering it in water, straining it, and adding coffee creamer before drinking. The reason to reference the official Ministry guidance rather than copy homemade recipes from overseas is that preparation details matter, and this is an oral route of administration using a prescribed controlled drug.

There is also a scientific reason not to treat cannabis tea as a casual DIY category. Research on oral cannabis formulations shows that oral absorption can be delayed and variable compared with other routes, and formulation matters because cannabinoids are lipophilic and have poor water solubility.

A 2024 study on medicinal cannabis tea also found that repeated tea preparations can contain different cannabinoid doses even when the same cannabis product is used, underscoring the need for caution with tea as a route of administration.⁴

That is why the most useful answer to how to make cannabis tea in New Zealand is not a social media recipe. It is: use the official Ministry guidance as the baseline, and then follow the specific preparation and dosing advice given by your prescribing doctor and dispensing pharmacy.

Things to know before exploring cannabis tea in New Zealand

First, cannabis tea is not a substitute for a consultation. In New Zealand, medicinal cannabis products are prescription-only, and the Ministry says health professionals are the ones best placed to decide whether a product is suitable based on your health history, current medicines, and the potential risks and benefits.

Second, the route of administration matters. If you have prescribed flower, you still need to know whether that particular product has been verified for tea, for vaporisation, or another dosage form.

The Ministry keeps these categories separate and states plainly that dried flower for preparing tea for oral consumption does not meet the inhalation standard. If you are trying to work out how to use medicinal cannabis flower, the right answer comes from the prescribed product and your clinician’s instructions, not from assuming all flower can be used the same way.

Third, quality verification is not the same as product approval. The Ministry’s minimum quality standard is designed to give prescribers confidence in product quality and consistency, but it also says these verified products are not approved medicines and that safety and efficacy have not been assessed in that approval sense. That is another reason the doctor conversation matters more than the product format alone.

Fourth, availability can change. The Ministry notes that some verified products may not be listed at the request of the licence holder, and that being on the verified products page does not guarantee a product is currently available in New Zealand.

Finally, hemp tea is not a shortcut to prescribed cannabis tea. Hemp and cannabis may come from the same species, but they do not sit in the same legal and clinical category in New Zealand. Hemp seed foods are regulated as food, hemp flowers and leaves are not permitted in that food category, and cannabis products with therapeutic intent follow a different pathway altogether.

Closing thoughts

The difference between hemp tea and cannabis tea is bigger than the names suggest. In Aotearoa, hemp tea belongs to the low THC hemp and food conversation, while cannabis tea is one of the routes of administration recognised for certain prescribed dried flower products that have been verified for tea under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme.

If you are exploring what medicinal cannabis involves, the most useful next step is not choosing a product yourself. It is understanding the route, the rules, and having the conversation with a prescriber.

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1. Ministry for Primary Industries. Recalled food products: Higher Living Organic brand Green Tea Hemp. https://www.mpi.govt.nz/food-safety-home/food-recalls-and-complaints/recalled-food-products/higher-living-organic-brand-green-tea-hemp
2. Food Standards Australia New Zealand. A1236 – Low THC hemp leaf, seed sprout and root as food and food ingredients. https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/food-standards-code/applications/A1236-Low-THC-hemp-leaf-seed-sprout-and-root-as-food-and-food-ingredients
3. Ministry of Health. Minimum quality standard for medicinal cannabis products. https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/regulation-health-and-disability-system/medicinal-cannabis-agency/medicinal-cannabis-agency-information-industry/minimum-quality-standard-medicinal-cannabis-products
4. Sønderskov MB, Hasselstrøm JB, Bahij R, Andersen CU. Medicinal cannabis tea contains variable doses of cannabinoids and no terpenes. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2024;135(3):334-344. doi:10.1111/bcpt.14056. https://portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk/en/publications/medicinal-cannabis-tea-contains-variable-doses-of-cannabinoids-an