Rose Renton

Rose Renton is a Singapore-born New Zealand cannabis activist, known for her work advocating for medicinal cannabis. Renton has campaigned for medicinal cannabis law reform and the right to grow plants, coordinating a petition which was presented to Parliament in 2016. She has also worked as a green fairy providing her own home-made medicinal cannabis to patients prior to legalisation, a subject of numerous documentaries and media interviews.

Renton became a high-profile figure in cannabis law reform in 2015 when her late son, Alex Renton, became the first person in New Zealand to be legally treated with medicinal cannabis oil under a special exemption by then Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne.

Renton was a prominent advocate of medicinal cannabis in the 2010s, and was transparent about her operation growing cannabis and supplying cannabis-based products to New Zealanders with medical conditions, despite the illegality of it at the time. After her work was widely reported in New Zealand media, her activities were deemed in violation of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 by authorities. In October 2017, Renton faced 14 years in prison after being charged with cultivating high cannabidiol cannabis plants, processing cannabis products and possessing cannabis for supply. She was subsequently discharged without conviction on all charges after a judge deemed her motivations "altruistic."