On April 1, the Canadian government privatized the production of cannabis for medicinal use with the Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations.
This replaced the previous legislation, wherein patients were authorized to obtain cannabis for medicinal use from a Health Canada certified grower or to grow their own plants. Growing rights could also be transferred to a third party, so patients could choose their producer.
Health Canada currently refers patients to one of 13 approved companies—although, according to the Canadian Medical Cannabis Industry Association, 21 companies have received licenses to produce cannabis.
According to Andrew Hathaway of the University of Guelph, a sociologist researching the social implications of marijuana use, “with the previous system, there was a concern of privately grown marijuana being diverted to the black market. Many patients appreciate the legitimacy that obtaining [marijuana] through the government offers, but others seem frustrated by the stipulations of the new policy.”
Hathaway also expressed concern that patient rights are restricted in some ways by the new legislation, as they no longer have the same control over the source of their medication.
When she began using medical marijuana in 2012 to treat symptoms of multiple sclerosis, a Canadian patient, who has requested to remain anonymous, paid five dollars per gram before taxes from Prairie Plant Systems, which is typical for a Canadian patient. After the switchover date, she ordered from the affiliated public company, CanniMed, which charges $13.50 per gram, plus HST.
While most companies offer discounts in an effort to be conscious of their client’s needs, as the source found, it can still be a struggle.
“CanniMed offered a discount on credit card orders for the first six months so people could stock up and try out their products. Unfortunately, for a lot of people, that can be a huge financial burden,” they said.
Many patients were concerned about the inevitable complication of finding a strain that worked best for their symptoms. As the source said, “for any illness, finding something that addresses all your symptoms can be difficult. But for something like marijuana, it can be so much more confusing for patients because they’re doing it themselves. A lot of people don’t have any experience with this.”
However, the privatization of marijuana production has created more opportunity for quality symptom management. CanniMed offers seven different strains, each containing different levels of THC. Tweed Inc. boasts over 25 and provides assistance “in finding the strain that meets your personal needs.” All of Health Canada’s licensed producers offer information to help choose the appropriate strain.
Though it is still too early to speculate about the long-term impacts of the legislation, Hathaway said, “the best evidence we can hope for is the satisfaction of patients, and if they’ve found freedom in choosing their medication with this new legislation, that’s good enough.”
Related articles:
