Health Canada’s Plan for Medical Cannabis Will Violate Patients’ Rights, says the BCCLA
by British Columbia Civil Liberties Association
Today the BC Civil Liberties Association called for
sweeping reforms to Health Canada’s Medical Marihuana Access Program
(MMAP). Health Canada is preparing to amend the MMAP, but the BCCLA say
its proposal is heading in the wrong direction.
Health Canada’s
proposal would have patients directly authorized by physicians to use
medical marihuana and patients would have to purchase their medical
marihuana from licensed commercial producers.
Micheal Vonn, BCCLA Policy Director:
“The MMAP has
never provided genuine access to needed medications for patients. A
recent Ontario court decision struck down the MMAP as unconstitutional
when the judge found that physicians are overwhelmingly refusing to
participate in the program. Health Canada’s proposal is to provide
doctors with up-to-date information on medical marihuana, but the
lingering stigma of marihuana criminalization isn’t going to be fixed
with some brochures for doctors. Hundreds of thousands of patients with
chronic and terminal illnesses need access to this medication right
now, and while physician education is important and welcome,
physician-as-gatekeeper is not working. Patients need authorization to
prescribe extended to other health care providers.”
The BCCLA says Health Canada must not restrict access
only to commercial producers who would set their own prices and mail
medication to patients.
Vonn:
“Health Canada is going out of its way to
simply ignore the obvious solution to the problem of access.
Community-based dispensaries (i.e. “compassion clubs”) have a proven
track record of providing people with needed medication and
information. When you have a family member who is battling cancer and
needs medical marihuana for nausea, vomiting and weight loss caused by
chemotherapy, where exactly do you go to learn how to prepare marihuana
for smoking or for ingestion? This is the kind of service being
provided by community-based dispensaries and Health Canada needs to stop
criminalizing and start endorsing the success of these dispensaries in
order to respond to real and urgent patient needs.”
The BCCLA has opposed the criminalization of marihuana for over 40 years.
The BCCLA’s submission to Health Canada can be found here >>
