Pubdate: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2013 Postmedia Network Inc. Contact: http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html Website: http://www.theprovince.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Author: Jim Bronskill Page: A15 MEDICAL-POT EXPLOITATION EVIDENT RCMP Report: Police say criminals often take advantage of legal weed programs Ottawa - The RCMP says organized criminal networks are taking advantage of Canada's medical marijuana program to produce the drug and supply it to the illicit market. A newly released intelligence report by the national police force warns that criminals are using family members and associates with clean police records to get around program safeguards. "Gaining access to or control of a medical marijuana grow operation is highly desirable for criminal networks due to the array of opportunities it would present for the illicit production and diversion of high-grade medical marijuana," says the report, which was completed in May 2012. It also notes that screening an applicant through a criminal record check is insufficient to keep undesirable elements from infiltrating the program. A heavily censored copy of the report was released to The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act. The findings follow numerous warnings and reports of illegal activity linked to Health Canada's Marijuana Medical Access Regulations initiative. The department has announced a complete reworking of the medical marijuana system - in part because of concerns about the risk of criminal exploitation. Under the existing program, to be phased out by April 1, 2014, individuals are issued licences to grow marijuana for their personal use to help ease the symptoms of their medical conditions. More than 30,000 people across the country are currently authorized to use the drug for medical purposes. Under Health Canada's new medical marijuana program, individuals will no longer apply for licences to grow plants at home. Instead, licensed producers will cultivate marijuana for distribution to individuals whose healthcare providers agree it is an appropriate treatment. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt