The Marijuana Dispatch

Bad news for Canadian cannabis patients, come April you’ll only have one source for medicine: licensed producers (LPs). In the past Canada growers could be independent, some 4200 growers produced plants for up to two people, a fine neighborly arrangement that seemed to be working fine.

Under the new regulations, patients will lose their right to cultivate their own medication. Buyers could see price increases from $1-$5 per gram to a projected $7-$12 per gram – an unaffordable increase for many patients. In Ontario, for example, medicinal marijuana is not covered by a public drug plan, and is rarely covered by private insurers. For many with prescribed amounts of anywhere between one to 10 grams per day to manage their symptoms, this systemically bars a large segment of the most vulnerable population from their medication.

Losing the DIY nature of the program is really unfortunate. I hope this gets turned around and Canada is back on the grow it yourself or independent growers train.