Medical Marijuana Growers Get Reprieve from New Health Canada Regulations

A dried cannabis plant is trimmed at the Farmacy in south-west Quebec. Justin Tang / The Canadian Press.

Licensed producers of medical marijuana have won an injunction that will allow them to keep producing medical cannabis. This temporary injunction will allow personal producers to keep growing past the April 1 deadline, pending a constitutional challenge that will be heard later this year.

Health Canada currently has 10 commercial sized medical cannabis producers in full operation. These commercial growers are Health Canada’s solution to the vexing problem of quality of product and the safety of the growing areas.

With a common power usage of 1000 watts per grow lamp, the issue of fire safety has to be challenged. With the extra added electrical load for fans and pumps, a typical grow operation takes up 1250 to 1500 watts per nine plants grown. Canada’s firefighters raised the questions of safety of these indoor grow lamps.

While a more centralized and controlled environment may sound like a more reasonable method, personal growers say that the patients will not be getting the strains they need. It is entirely possible to match certain strains of marijuana with various levels of THC and CBD with certain ailments. Personal growers say the commercial growers lack the selection and knowledge required to provide these symptom specific strains of marijuana.

With roughly 40,000 Canadians holding licenses to produce or hold up to 150 grams of medical pot, rules and regulations must be made in accordance with the widespread use of cannabis as a medicine. The problem won’t just go away – not with 40,000 individuals to raise their collective voice.

Should the Canadian government privatize commercial growing or allow citizens to grow their own? Tell us what you think in the comments below.