From the Canadian AIDS Society (endorsed by HALCO):
On December 15th, 2012, Health Canada announced amendments to the Marihuana Medical Access Regulations and put forward the proposed Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR) in the Canada Gazette, Volume 146, No. 50.
The Canadian AIDS Society took the lead and consulted with people who use cannabis for medical purposes, with its national partner organizations and others who have a stake in these proposed changes. We have prepared the attached submission, endorsed by many organizations, both to highlight positive changes that may contribute to addressing some of the barriers to access to cannabis for medical purposes as well as the concerns that remain with the proposed regulations. We make recommendations as to how some of these concerns might be addressed.
Namely, we point out that under the proposed MMPR:
- it will still be challenging for people to find physicians who feel they are informed enough about the medical use of cannabis to make sound medical judgements and support their patients authorization to possess cannabis for medical purposes;
- many people are concerned about the plan to phase out Personal Use Production Licenses;
- medical cannabis dispensaries, or compassion clubs, continue to be left out of the distribution system; and
- prices for cannabis, which will be made available through licensed commercial producers, will significantly increase, with no plans for compensation of costs.
The complete response that CAS submitted to Health Canada is on the CAS website:
- English: www.cdnaids.ca/cas-responds-to-proposed-marihuana-for-medical-purposes-regulations .
- Français : www.cdnaids.ca/home.nsf/pages/la-scs-repond-a-la-proposition-de-reglement-sur-la-marihuana-a-des-fins-medicales .
Please visit the Canada Gazette website at http://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2012/2012-12-15/html/reg4-eng.html for more information about the proposed changes.
The Canadian AIDS Society has also been collaborating with other researchers on a Cannabis Access for Medical Purposes Study. Stay tuned for the results!
If you are living with HIV in Ontario, you can contact us at HALCO for free legal advice.