Youth and Student Group Question Proposed Changes to Medical Marijuana Program

CSSDP

A national youth and student group is questioning some of the proposed changes to Canada's federally regulated medical marijuana program.  Health Canada proposed several changes to the Medical Marihuana Access Program (MMAP) in order to ‘protect communities and young people.'  Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP) made a submission to Health Canada today that questioned the effectiveness of the proposed changes, and called for extensive review with stakeholders.

"Reform of the MMAP is needed. What Health Canada has proposed so far is a mix of positive and negative steps. While CSSDP is encouraged by some changes, the positives are outweighed by changes which will not achieve the desired outcomes," says CSSDP executive director Caleb Chepesiuk.  "The Minister of Health contends that the proposed changes will protect young people, but as students and young people we cannot agree with this.

"For instance, the proposal to eliminate the Personal Production Licenses (PPL) is a major change to the current program.  But this change will do nothing to decrease the amount of cannabis that will be available to young people. Prohibition policies created a thriving underground cannabis market long before the PPL program existed.  Eliminating the PPL program will only impact those in our communities who use cannabis medically and prefer or need to grow their own medicine.  The proposed changes will do nothing to prevent young people from having access to or using cannabis."

"The first step for Health Canada must be to continue working with stakeholders in addressing the serious problems with the proposed changes," states CSSDP network director Shauna MacEachern. "Health Canada must engage in meaningful consultations to address the problems, especially with people who use cannabis medically and current providers of medical cannabis.  Also, if young people are going to be evoked as a reason for these reforms, than young people should be at the table too."

CSSDP welcomes the changes aimed at getting the government out of the medical cannabis industry and eliminating the sole-source contract approach.  However, the organization is not convinced the reforms offered are enough to end the repeated court cases that have found serious problems with the federal program.

"There is also no recognition of the successful operation of medical cannabis dispensaries.  Medical cannabis dispensaries have become a preferred option for people to access not only medicine but also additional help and support.  The medical cannabis industry is taking steps to create certification standards, yet they are ignored in the proposed changes.  Instead the proposed changes only offer vague insight into a plan for licensed commercial producers."

To read CSSDP's full submission: http://www.cssdp.org/includes/CSSDP%20Submission%20July%202011.pdf