Image Credit: www.wikipedia.org
April 08, 2013 - 5:11 PM
Rules of medical marijuana outlined for council
Health Canada has responded to questions posed by Kamloops City Council earlier this year, but the answers may not clear the air as much as council hoped when it comes to their concerns about growing medical marijuana in residential homes and how the federal government plans on handling potential risks.
At the Jan. 22 council meeting seven of the nine council members voted to send a letter to Health Canada looking for answers on restoring homes of people who held licenses for medical grow operations, parameters around public smoking, experimental research and development activities and whether federal resources to conduct studies or surveys to ensure reasonable ease of access to prescribed medicine.
This week council gets their first look at the answers provided to many of these questions, unfortunately two of the questions fall outside the jurisdiction of the ministry. Health Canada said it would be unable to provide answers to restoring homes or public smoking, though it was noted public smoking would fall under the same laws outlined by provincial and municipal governments for smoking in public places.
The process for taking part in research and development activities through the ministry starts with a statement of interest but also requires a declaration to the municipality, fire officials and local law enforcement, record checks and a letter from the owner of the property if someone other than the applicant.
Health Canada also provided a copy of the Performance Measurement and Evaluation Plan – which specifies the monitoring methods for the proposed Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations - as well as links to other related documents.
Significant proposed changes to the way Canadians can obtain marijuana for medical purposes were announced by the Government of Canada on Dec. 16, 2012, with the goal of treating dried marijuana like other narcotics used for medical purposes through a new, commercial industry responsible for the production and distribution of the drug.
To contact a reporter for this story, email jstahn@infotelnews.ca or call (250) 819-3723.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013