Pubdate: Wed, 24 Jul 2013
Source: Sudbury Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2013 Osprey Media
Contact: http://www.thesudburystar.com/letters
Website: http://www.thesudburystar.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/608
Author: Jonathan Migneault
Page: 3

COMPASSION CLUB WON'T GET MARIJUANA LICENCE

A federal court has upheld a decision to deny the Northern Ontario
Compassion Club a licence to grow and distribute medical marijuana.

In a letter to the minister of health, on March 8, 2012, Ryan
McIlvenna, the owner of the Northern Ontario Compassion Club, a local
organization, made a request to be able to "provide the production and
supply of marijuana, or any of its other forms, to sick or disabled
persons or individuals" who had Health Canada approval to use medical
marijuana.

But the director of the Bureau of Medical Cannabis replied on March
20, 2012, that Health Canada does not licence compassion clubs or
dispensaries to possess, produce or distribute marijuana for medical
purposes.

"Health Canada is the only organization that can legally supply
marihuana seeds and dried marihuana to persons authorized to possess
and/or licenced to produce marihuana for medical purposes," the
director wrote.

On April 13, 2012, McIlvenna wrote to Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq a
second time and asked for a second chance to approve his request.

McIlvenna said in his second email he intended for the Northern
Ontario Compassion Club to have three components: A medical marijuana
licensing centre, a distribution centre and a growing facility.

The licensing centre, McIlvenna wrote, would have a doctor on staff
who would be able to grant medical marijuana licences to patients so
they could receive up to 70 g of cannabis per week. The growing
facility would consist of a farm, "or group of farms" in Canada that
would produce the compassion club's marijuana.

Health Canada once again rejected the second request.

Federal Court Justice Peter Annis supported the denial of McIlvenna's
request. Annis noted that McIlvenna did not provide any valid reasons
to receive an exemption under the Marihuana Medical Access
Regulations, which govern access to medical marijuana.

"The magnitude of the deviations from the current (Marihuana Medical
Access Regulations) provisions which the applicants sought if allowed
would amount to a complete rewrite of the regulations and give rise to
the serious risks of abuse described by the minister," Annis wrote.

He added McIlvenna and the Northern Ontario Compassion Club are free
to resubmit their request to the minister of health, with more
complete supporting evidence.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt