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CANADA-Injunction allowing patients to continue growing pot major blow to overhaul of medical marijuana system
Patients who are currently licensed to grow their own pot will be permitted to continue producing the drug when new regulations take effect on April 1, a Federal Court judge ruled Friday.
Judge Michael Manson granted an application from a group of medical marijuana patients, who asked for a temporary injunction to preserve the status quo until a constitutional challenge of the new system can be heard.
The decision represents a major blow, at least in the short term, to the Conservative government’s attempt to overhaul this country’s medical marijuana system, which it says is rife with problems ranging from unsafe grow-ops to infiltration by criminals.
The new regulations restrict medical marijuana production to commercial growers, though the injunction does not affect the new licensing system.
Health Canada has warned any patient licensed to grow pot under the current rules must confirm they have destroyed their plants or they will be reported to the police.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit argue the updated regulations violate their right to access important medicine, because marijuana is expected to initially be more expensive under the new system. They also say they won’t have as much control over which strains of the drug they use.
