With medical marijuana growing laws changing in 2014, Canada’s health minister, Leona Aglukkaq, has written about why the federal government wants to get out of the business of licensing growers.
The change, due to take effect in March 2014, effectively privatizes and corporatizes medical marijuana crop growing.
Aglukkaq said in the statement, shared to Canadian media, that:
“When the Marijuana Medical Access Program was introduced in 2001 in response to a court decision, the number of people authorized to use marijuana for medical purposes stood at less than 500. Over the years that number has grown to more than 30,000. As a result, costs to taxpayers have continued to climb as Health Canada heavily subsidizes the production and distribution of marijuana for medical purposes.”
She expressed concern that those with permission to grow it at home “has added to public health, safety and security risks as criminal elements have abused the system.”
“The government’s goal is to treat dried marijuana as much as possible like other narcotics used for medical purposes under the MMPR (Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations) by creating conditions for a new, commercial industry that will be responsible for its production and distribution. Health Canada will return to its traditional role as a regulator.”
New security and quality control requirements will, Aglukkaq added, make it harder for medical marijuana to be funnelled into the illegal drugs trade.
– Read the entire article in Pique News Magazine.
