Pubdate: Thu, 09 Jul 2015
Source: Chronicle-Journal, The (CN ON)
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/5fH8Gfxc
Copyright: 2015 The Chronicle-Journal
Website: http://www.chroniclejournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3155
Author: Stephanie Levitz
Page: AS15

CANNABIS OIL, FRESH MARIJUANA NOW AVAILABLE

OTTAWA- Rules that limited medical marijuana users to only dried 
forms of the drug have gone up in smoke.

Forms of marijuana that can be used to make everything from brownies 
to lip balms will now be legally available following Health Canada's 
swift response to a Supreme Court of Canada ruling that had struck 
down an element of the previous regulations on access to medical 
marijuana as unconstitutional.

In a directive issued Wednesday, the department said that cannabis 
oils, as well as fresh marijuana buds and leaves, can now be sold by 
licensed producers provided they follow similar packaging and 
labelling requirements as exist for dried marijuana.

The medical cannabis industry applauded the move as a signal that 
Canada is a world leader in compassionate and rational medical cannabis policy.

But Health Minister Rona Ambrose suggested the government only acted 
because it had to.

"It's important that Canadians understand that marijuana is not an 
approved drug in Canada or an approved medicine. It has not gone 
through what is the very rigorous testing for safety and efficacy 
that every drug in Canada goes through," Ambrose said at an unrelated 
event in Edmonton Wednesday.

"(Health Canada) will implement what the Supreme Court has said in 
their court-imposed marijuana for medicinal purposes program. But 
their first top-of-line message is, 'Marijuana is not a medicine."'

In June, the top court ruled that the existing regulations 
restricting medical marijuana possession to dried pot violated the 
charter in part because anyone possessing other forms of the drug was 
at risk of going to jail.

"The prohibition of non-dried forms of medical marijuana limits 
liberty and security of the person in a manner that is arbitrary and 
hence is not in accord with the principles of fundamental justice," 
said the unanimous written judgement.

The ruling also said because there were limited ways to use dried 
pot, people were forced to choose a treatment that was potentially 
less effective or even dangerous for them in order to comply with the 
law -and that too was unconstitutional.

In turn, however, the ruling created some confusion as to whether it 
gave people the right to sell products made from marijuana, like 
butters or brownies.

The new regulations allow licensed producers to sell cannabis oil or 
fresh leaves or buds, but they can't turn it into other products.

But the regulations do allow those authorized to possess medical 
marijuana to convert any form of the drug, including dried, into 
other products for their own use, which they legally weren't allowed 
to do before.

For patients, it's a welcome step forward, the Canadian Medical 
Cannabis Industry Association said in a statement.

Many can't inhale cannabis, and others find they are better able to 
manage their symptoms by ingesting, rather than inhaling, they said.

"By including a greater variety of options for different modes of 
delivery, Canada has shown itself once again to be a world leader in 
compassionate and rational medical cannabis policy," said Neil Belot, 
the association's executive director.

While the government used to be the sole producer of medical 
marijuana, it got out of the business two years ago and began 
licensing private producers according to a strict set of criteria, 
including that products had to be in child-resistant packaging and 
clearly labelled.

The move led to a growth in the marijuana business across the 
country, prompting the establishment of dispensaries and compassion 
clubs, though Health Canada repeated in its directive Wednesday that 
they are considered illegal.

Still, last month Vancouver became the first Canadian municipality to 
regulate medical marijuana dispensaries, requiring operators to pay a 
$30,000 licensing fee and locate at least 300 metres away from 
community centres, schools, and each other.

The stores are banned from selling edible products in part due to 
data showing child poisonings skyrocketed by 600 per cent in U.S. 
states where marijuana is legal.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom