Medical marijuana users won’t be able to grow at home

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – People who grow medical marijuana at home for medical purposes won’t be able to do so for much longer.
    
The federal government is making changes on how people can access the medicinal weed.
    
With the new rules beginning March 2014, if you have a license to get the drug you won’t be getting it from Health Canada dispensaries or growing it.
    
Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq says a commercial industry will be set up and you’ll have to get it there. “Under our new rules only facilities that meet strict security requirements will be able to produce marijuana for medical purposes,” says Aglukkaq.

“This means that tax payers will no longer be subsidizing the sale of medical marijuana.”
    
Under the current program, the drug is about $5 per gram but that is expected to go up once the system is privatized.
    
With the move to the new system, some critics say they are worried the cost of the drug will become unaffordable.

Impact on Public Safety
   
Fire Fighters and Police have been pushing for this change for some time, as they say it’ll improve public safety.
    
Vancouver Police Chief Constable Jim Chu says it’ll crackdown on the number of grow-ops in your neighbourhood and stop those who abuse the system and sell the drug illegally.

“We’ve gone to certain situations and grow-ops and we’ve found out that there’s a legal license, so our hands were tied in terms of taking some enforcement action,” says Chu.

“Eliminating the grow-ops in dwellings, we think that’s positive for public safety, many reasons including the dangers of health from mould, and also the problems associated with theft of electricity.”
    
Fire fighters are happy with the regulations, as they say it’ll cut down on destructive house fires.         

Health Canada wants your comments on the issue before it’s implemented.
    
You have 75 days to give your feedback

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