Due to the repeal of the Marihuana Medical Access Regulations (MMAR) in March 2014, Health Canada can no longer sell marijuana for medical purposes. Under current regulations, patients must find a doctor who can help them register with a licensed medical marijuana producer. Licensed producers provide different strengths and strains to best treat each patient’s particular ailment. 

It becomes clear that this new program doesn’t put the patients first. The cost of medical marijuana and patient supply and amounts are very high and patients have been stripped of their right to grow their own marijuana. With the potential of access to recreational marijuana in the near future, the licensed producers will be the leaders in their areas and they will not be going anywhere anytime soon. I believe the patients reserve the right for choice and they need to be put first in this circumstance – not the big corporations. What will happen to the future of our patients? Will this be repealed one day? Are we taking one step forward or two steps back?