Pubdate: Sun, 16 Mar 2014
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2014 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html
Website: http://www.theprovince.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Sam Cooper
Referenced: Statement: Changes to the Reporting Requirements in the
Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (March 14, 2014): 
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/marihuana/changesmmpr-changementsrmfm-eng.php
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

MEDICAL MARIJUANA ULTIMATUM CONDEMNED

Activists Slam a Health Canada Notice Ordering Sick Pot Users to 
Destroy Current Supply or Face Police Action

Medical marijuana patients are in an uproar over a "brutal" and 
"punitive" Health Canada order forcing the destruction of "legally 
grown medicine," according to a B.C. activist.

Dana Larsen of Sensible B.C. said a press release from Health Canada 
on Friday "shows why the agency cannot be trusted to act in the best 
interest of Canadians who need cannabis based medicines."

The notification statement comes ahead of changes to the law April 1, 
at which point home grown medical marijuana will become illegal and 
all participants in the Marihuana Medical Access Program must buy pot 
from a government-authorized source. The release advises that 
participants in the program must write to Health Canada by April 30 
stating they have either destroyed, or no longer possess, pot 
obtained or grown under the old program.

Participants that had permission to grow marijuana must also attest 
that they have halted production. Police will be informed of 
participants that don't comply, according to the Health Canada statement.

"The program introduced in 2001 under the Marihuana Medical Access 
Regulations was open to serious abuse and had unintended consequences 
for public health, safety and security, as a result of allowing 
individuals to produce marijuana in their homes," the statement said.

But Larsen said Saturday that Health Canada "could have just said 
'Stop growing and you can use up the valuable medicine that you 
legally grew under the old program.'

"This is very punitive to ask people to destroy possibly pounds or 
thousands of dollars worth of medicine," Larsen said. "And it is 
brutal to put the onus on people to contact Health Canada, or else 
you face the stress of police showing up at your door."

Activists say many medical marijuana users are on fixed incomes and 
buying from government-authorized companies instead of growing their 
own product could increase costs by up to 10 times. In 2013, Larsen 
and Sensible B.C. mounted a campaign to petition for a referendum on 
the effective legalization of marijuana in B.C. More than 200,000 
people signed the petition, falling short of the 300,000 signatures 
needed to move a referendum.

Larsen said his group will mount a "day of action" against Health 
Canada on April 1, in reaction to the marijuana program changes.

Activists are also hopeful several lawsuits seeking to maintain the 
status quo in medical marijuana production will win injunctions ahead 
of the law change, Larsen said.

Health Canada could not be reached for comment Saturday.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom