The federal government has proposed sweeping changes to the way Canadians access medical marijuana, including an end to home grow operations.
The Ministry of Health revealed Sunday it intends to treat marijuana like other medicines, and will no longer produce it, distribute it, licence Canadians to use it or allow them to grow it themselves.
Under the proposed changes, users would instead have to obtain a prescription-like document from a doctor, then purchase the pot from one of a variety of authorized private vendor companies.
“Under our new rule, only facilities that meet strict security requirements will be able to produce marijuana for medical purposes,” Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq told a press conference in Maple Ridge.
Aglukkaq said the changes would balance the needs of pot users with public health and safety concerns, arguing that the current system is frequently abused by growers and presents various dangers to those who harvest the plant.
“The high value of marijuana on the illicit market increases the risk of home invasions,” Aglukkaq said. “These production operations can also present fire and toxic mould hazards.”
The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, which backs the government’s plan, said legal and illegal grow operations burn down 24 times more frequently than average homes.
Currently, patients apply to Health Canada to take part in the Marijuana Medical Access Program. Once accepted, they are allowed to either grow pot at home or purchase it from a government producer.
Under the new program, Aglukkaq said Canadians would be able to choose their favourite provider based on “strain, price, quality and customer service.”
The government is touting the move as a way to cut red tape, but not everyone is pleased with the plans. The Canadian Medical Association decried the government for “dumping medical marijuana responsibility onto doctors.”
“The federal government established the program and is now abdicating its role as a regulator of medical marijuana,” CMA president Dr. Anna Reid said in a statement.
“Not only does prescribing drugs that haven’t been clinically tested fly in the face of a physician’s training and ethics, the potential benefits or adverse effects of marijuana haven’t been rigorously tested.”
While the government currently authorizes marijuana use and certifies the safety of the product, Reid said the proposed changes would be “equivalent to asking doctors to prescribe while blindfolded.”
The Ministry of Health said it also wants to stop subsidizing the cost of medical marijuana, causing concern among low-income users who fear what the changes would mean for pot prices.
Reports suggest the price of medical marijuana would move from its current cost of between $1.80 and $5 per gram up to $8.80 per gram.
But Aglukkaq said the price of maintaining the current program, at $15 million per year, has become unsustainable for taxpayers.
Over the last decade, the number of people authorized to possess or grow pot under Canada’s Marihuana Medical Access Program has ballooned from 500 people to more than 26,000, the minister said.
Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu, who co-chairs the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, said the hazards of the current system are a result of too many licensed growers acting irresponsibly.
“Grow ops with a medical license commonly use unlicensed plumbers and electricians to set up the operation. There’s no work permits, there’s no inspections by city staff and the amateur efforts frequently result in flooding as well as fire damage,” Chu said.
The Ministry of Health said it intends to fully implement the system by March 13, 2014, at which point all current licences to possess or produce pot would expire.
The government is holding a 75-day comment period for the public to give feedback on the proposal, which will end on February 28 next year. The details of the new regulations are available on the ministry’s website.
The government is holding a 75-day comment period for the public to give feedback on the proposal, which will end on February 28 next year. The details of the new regulations are available on the ministry’s website.
