For quite awhile Canada’s medical cannabis industry was built on a home-grow model. That changed last year when Canada’s government created a much more limited model that put the task of growing medical cannabis into the hands of corporations. There have been many issues as a result. Per Canada.Com:
Almost a year after the federal government revamped the way medical marijuana is produced and distributed in Canada — moving from home-based operations to large-scale commercial ones — the fledgling industry continues to encounter growing pains.
A trial is set to begin next month in Federal Court that will hear patients argue that the price of marijuana charged by commercial producers is too high, depriving them of medicine to treat serious ailments. Until a decision is made, individuals who previously held licences to possess and grow their own marijuana have been allowed to continue doing so.
Commercial producers have faced other challenges, including restrictions on how they advertise their products; maintaining adequate supplies; and responding to product recalls.
I definitely get that there is a need for large scale industrial medical cannabis facilities in Canada. However, there is an even greater need for the right for patients to cultivate medicine on a smaller scale. Whenever you give the exclusive right to grow medical marijuana to only a handful of entities, there will always be problems, and patients suffer as a result.
Anthony Johnson
Anthony, a longtime cannabis law reform advocate, was Chief Petitioner and co-author of Measure 91, Oregon's cannabis legalization effort. He served as director of both the New Approach Oregon and Vote Yes on 91 PACs, the political action committees responsible for the state's legalization campaign. As director of New Approach Oregon, Anthony continues to work towards effectively implementing the cannabis legalization system while protecting small business owners and the rights of patients. He sits on the Oregon Marijuana Rules Advisory Committee and fights for sensible rules at the legislature as well as city councils and county commissions across the state. Anthony helps cannabis business comply with Oregon's laws and advises advocates across the country. He also serves as content director of both the International Cannabis Business Conference and the Oregon Marijuana Business Conference, helping share the vision of moving the cannabis industry forward in a way that maintains the focus on keeping people out of prison and protecting patients. He was a member of the Oregon Health Authority Rules Advisory Committee, assisting the drafting of the administrative rules governing Oregon’s state-licensed medical marijuana facilities. He first co-authored and helped pass successful marijuana law reform measures while a law student at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. He passed the Oregon Bar in 2005 and practiced criminal defense for two years before transitioning to working full-time in the political advocacy realm. His blogs on Marijuana Politics are personal in nature and don't speak for or reflect the opinions of any group or organization.
