Pubdate: Fri, 12 Jul 2013
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2013 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Gemma Karstens-Smith

MEDICAL POT SHOP REQUIRES MD'S NOTE

Store Still Operating Outside Law, Ministry Says

Ottawa's first medical marijuana shop has made a big policy change 
within its first few weeks of operation, but Health Canada says the 
shop is still existing outside of the law.

The Greater Ottawa Health Advocacy Centre now requires clients to 
have a form filled out by a health care provider before they can buy 
marijuana. The form includes information such as the health care 
practitioner's licence number, the amount of marijuana to be used by 
the patient per day and the length of time the patient is to use it.

The shop, which opened July 2, originally allowed people to buy 
marijuana without a note from their doctor, but the practice soon 
came under scrutiny.

Health Canada requires people looking to use medical marijuana to 
apply for a ministry-issued Authorization to Possess card or have a 
declaration signed by their physician.

In June, Health Canada began its transition from a system of allowing 
users to grow their own marijuana to licensing producers to grow and 
sell. The switch will take until March 2014 to complete.

Ryan Levis, owner of The Greater Ottawa Health Advocacy Centre, said 
he has applied for a Health Canada licence (none have been approved 
yet, according to the Health Canada website) and in the meantime is 
selling marijuana through the "compassion" system of pooling several 
approved medical marijuana users' supplies. The shop is run as a non-profit.

But Jeannine Ritchot, director of medical marijuana regulatory reform 
for Health Canada, said shops such as The Greater Ottawa Health 
Advocacy Centre won't be eligible for a licence under the new legislation.

"They are illegal and they exist outside the regulatory framework," she said.

"We will continue to work with our partners in law enforcement 
whenever instances such as this one arise."

Under the new act, users will no longer be allowed to grow their own 
marijuana, but they also won't be able to buy it from stores, Ritchot 
said. Instead, producers will mail out marijuana in the same way that 
Health Canada currently mails out the medical marijuana it grows.

Under the new act, patients will no longer need to apply for an 
Authorization to Posses card. Instead, they will get a note similar 
to a prescription from their health care provider. The move 
streamlines the process, Ritchot said.

The Greater Ottawa Health Advocacy Centre's model was inspired by a 
shop in British Columbia, Levis said. But the decision to open sales 
at the Ottawa shop to anyone who walked through the door caused 
tension between Levis and the B.C. organization.

Levis told the Citizen Wednesday that the organization's 
representatives told him he was free to run the non-profit as he 
pleased, but severed its ties.

On Thursday, Levis said he was leaving Ottawa "for additional 
training" in several different locations. The training, he said, will 
include learning French and getting recertification for his 
certificate in restorative justice.

Colleagues will continue to operate the Somerset Street store.

Levis will remain the store's owner and plans to come back to the 
city to continue his education work on health awareness.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom