Getting marijuana for medical purposes legally

Since the Cannabis Act came into force on October 17, 2018, new regulations have been introduced to access to cannabis for medical purposes. The Cannabis Act protects public health and safety by setting rules for adults to access quality-controlled cannabis and creating a new, tightly regulated supply chain.

Patients authorized by their health care provider can get cannabis for medical purposes by:

• buying directly from a federally licensed seller
• registering with Health Canada to produce a limited amount of cannabis for their own medical purposes
• designating someone to produce it for them

Subject to the legal age limit in their province or territory, they are also able to buy cannabis:

• at provincial or territorial authorized retail outlets
• through provincial or territorial authorized online sales platforms

Adult possession of cannabis

Adults who are 18 years or older are able to:

• possess up to 30 grams of legal cannabis, dried or equivalent in non-dried form in public
• share up to 30 grams with other adults
• purchase cannabis products from a legal retailer
• grow up to 4 plants per residence (not per person) for personal use from licensed seeds or seedlings

Possession, production and distribution, and sale outside of what the law allows remain illegal and subject to criminal penalties, ranging from ticketing up to a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment.

Getting cannabis from a federally licensed seller

Under the new regulations, there are improvements for patients accessing cannabis for medical purposes from federally licensed sellers. These improvements include:

• the ability to request the return of their medical document from a federally licensed seller
• the ability to request the transfer of their medical document to a different federally licensed seller
• that the effective date on the registration document will be the day it is issued, rather than the day the medical document was signed by the health care provider
• removal of the 30-day limitation period for buying cannabis from a federally licensed seller (to ensure no break in a patient’s supply)
• a broader range of permitted products
• Access to an increasing number of licensed producers and sellers (Health Canada has licensed more producers in the last year than in the 4 previous years combined). The increasing number of licensed producers enables: competitive prices, more supply of cannabis, an increased availability of a range of products

Producing your own cannabis

For those registered with Health Canada to produce their own cannabis for medical purposes or who are designating someone to do it for them.

Under the new regulations, patients continue to be able to register with Health Canada to produce their own cannabis or designate someone to produce it for them. Improvements include:

• the effective date on the registration document is the day it is issued, rather than the day the medical document was signed by the health care provider
• the registration remains valid until a renewal decision has been made, if Health Canada has received a renewal application before your certificate expires

List of licensed producers of cannabis for medical purposes

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/licensed-producers/authorized-licensed-producers-medical-purposes.html

Sources:

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/health/campaigns/cannabis/canadians.html

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/topics/cannabis-for-medical-purposes.html

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/medical-use-cannabis.html