Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has confirmed.that they will look into easier access to cannabis based medicine.

Speculation is mounting the Government may be poised to relax the protocols for patients to access medicinal cannabis products, after a series of strong hints from Health Minister Jonathan Coleman.

While medicinal cannabis products are available in New Zealand for seriously ill patients, the bureaucratic hoops that must be jumped through - that culminates in ministry or ministerial sign-off for each case - makes access difficult.

Speaking to media on Tuesday afternoon, Coleman said that may not be necessary.

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"The question is whether we could make that process a lot less bureaucratic and give people quicker access in cases where they do need that access," he said.

"The real question is does it need to be signed off by a minister. And that answer is it probably doesn't."

He said the most likely scenario could see approval delegation handed to specialists, rather than the Minister, but it was unlikely to be handed down to the GP level.

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne holds responsibility for the issue, however he reports to Coleman.

Dunne was already carrying out a full-scale review of the rules, and was due to report back to Coleman and the Cabinet soon.

He is set to make an announcement on the issue tomorrow, and while access rules appear almost certain to change, it's not clear whether access will be loosened to the level Coleman has speculated.

Coleman's comments come on the same day as lobbyists gathered on Parliament's forecourt to protest current regulations.

Labour leader Andrew Little said his party supports the use of medicinal cannabis, and he appears to stand by the Government in his view that the recreational drug should remain illegal.

"We support the use of cannabis products for medicinal use, and we will legislate for that very quickly if we get the privilege to form a Government.

"I have a personal view, as do many colleagues about wider liberalisation of broader cannabis use, and that issue is about the risk of access to younger people and the public health issues that go with cannabis use, by people who are not fully developed and not fully mature.

"Understanding that the brain is not fully developed until the mid-twenties, more access for people around that age creates a public health risk."

Medsafe has approved two pharmaceutical grade cannabis products for prescription in New Zealand - Sativex and Tilray. But neither are funded by Pharmac, and their use can set patients back $700 or $1300 a month respectively.

The products are commonly used to treat pain for terminal cancer patients or for certain types of seizures.