Taking root: New Zealand's nascent medical cannabis industry enters a year of production 23 Jan, 2021 12:00 AM 7 minutes to read Rua Bioscience co-founder Manu Caddie (left) with chief executive Rob Mitchell. Photo / Supplied NZ Herald By: Kate MacNamara Rob Mitchell, CEO of Rua Bioscience, and co-founder, Manu Caddie, who is also chair of the New Zealand Medical Cannabis Council, are working to reach first revenue this year and shape New Zealand's cannabis rules as they go. 2020 was a defining year for New Zealand's nascent medical cannabis industry. Legislation passed in late 2018 created the legal basis for the sector, but it was just last April that new regulations allowed companies to begin to grow medical cannabis commercially and manufacture products for both the domestic and international markets.