Pubdate: Mon, 15 Aug 2016
Source: Meridian Booster (CN AB)
Copyright: 2016 Osprey Media
Contact: http://www.meridianbooster.com/letters
Website: http://www.meridianbooster.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1590
Cited: Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana (CFAMM): http://cfamm.ca/

HEALTH CANADA LOOKS AT 'SHORT TERM SOLUTION' FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA

As of August 24 Health Canada will now allow patients to grow a 
limited amount of medical marijuana.

Health Canada is also allowing patients to designate someone to grow 
for them because they themselves may not be able to.

This new parameter will be called Access to Cannabis for Medical 
Purposes Regulation (ACMPR) and will replace the Marihuana for 
Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR).

"The program is designed to help individuals who need access to 
cannabis for medical purposes, in not all instances will people be 
able to produce for themselves," said Jacqueline Bogden, assistant 
deputy minister for the department's cannabis legalization and 
regulation branch.

However, they will have to meet a number of measures before they can 
grow for the patient. For example, they will have to get a background 
check and confirm they have not been convicted of a drug related 
offence in the last 10 years.

They said the current 34 licensed producers will be the sole legal 
source to attain seeds and plants and the patients starting materials 
for their production.

Yet, the amount that patients grow will be limited. For a gram a day, 
the patient would be allowed two plants if they were growing outdoors 
and five plants if they were growing indoors. This, they said, is 
because plants which are grown outside are expected to have a greater yield.

These regulations are in response to the Federal Court of Canada's 
decision in Allard v. Canada. Health Canada had six months to find a 
solution to let patients grow their own plants.

"These regulations are designed to provide an immediate solution to 
address the court judgement," Bogden added.

However, since the announcement there have been many groups to speak 
out about the subject.

In a statement by Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana 
(CFAMM) they said it is a step in the right direction, but may not 
fully address the needs of all medical cannabis patients.

"While the new regulations address patients' ability to grow their 
own cannabis, the regulations fail to address the urgent issue of 
affordability for patients who are unable to do so," said Jonathan 
Zaid, founder and executive director for CFAMM.

The Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) made comment in a 
statement that they are disappointed in the new ACMPR and see it as a 
missed opportunity for patient safety.

Yet they say the government has another chance to improve patient 
safety when they create a new regime for legal access to recreational 
marijuana.

Health Canada stressed that this comes as an instant solution, but 
they say it should not be considered a long-term.

"These regulatory changes should not be interpreted as being the 
longer term plan for the regulation of access to cannabis for medical 
purposes," Bogden said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom