Daily BrewChanges to Canada’s medicinal marijuana industry unlikely to address health concerns
Medicinal marijuana regulations about to be imposed by Health Canada may strive to place the responsibility of growing the product in the hands of a few organizations, but the war over who can grow what is about to get messy.
Canada’s medicinal marijuana industry will be re-crafted at the end of the month, pulling the right to grow weed from the hands of thousands of Canadians and placing it in the care of large companies.
The Canadian Press cites court documents defending the government's change in tack, which says there have been "significant unintended consequences" in expanding the number of people legally allowed to grow marijuana.
More specifically, the government says growing pot at home can cause issues such as mould, fire and toxins in the building. Houses that are known to be home to grow ops are also under the threat of home invasion, and the product capable of appearing on the black market.
The documents were presented as the federal government defends an impending change in the way medicinal marijuana is grown in Canada.
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The government currently provides permits allowing for the possession and growth of marijuana. But those regulations will conclude at the end of the month. Starting on April 1, only select commercial producers will be allowed to grow marijuana and provide it to registered medicinal users.
The number of people allowed to carry marijuana for medicinal reasons hit 37,000 this year, up from less than 100 in 2001. The number of licenced users is expected to climb to 400,000 in relatively short order.
Marijuana is getting to be big business, especially in the states of Colorado and Washington, which legalized the drug last year. Colorado saw a reported $117.8 million in tax money gleaned from sales during the first six months of legalization. Another $15.8 million will be added in medicinal marijuana sales.
Canada’s new regulations won't have an impact on the number of people smoking medicinal marijuana, but it will have an impact on the number of people legally growing it. Larger organizations are more easily monitored and inspected, one would argue.
But any presumption that pot production outside those facilities will be greatly reduced has only a tepid connection to reality.
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CBC News reports that several B.C. mayors and police forces have suggested there will be no crack down on home grow-ops once the new rules come into effect.
"I'm not really interested in going after a little guy that's growing for his own personal use," said Mission Mayor Ted Adlem. "That makes no sense, it is absolutely ludicrous. And I don't think any municipal police department is going to go and try and search for somebody who is growing for their own personal use."
Some people have complained that the new distribution method will make medicinal marijuana unaffordable; others say they will simply return to underground supply chains to get what they need.
In short, the move appears set to half-bury an industry that was digging its way toward sunlight. And that won't address the problems in any way.
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