Pubdate: Wed, 15 Jan 2014
Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2014 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.ottawasun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.ottawasun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329
Author: Jessica Hume
Cited: MedicalMarijuana.ca: http://medicalmarijuana.ca/

WHAT ARE THEY SMOKIN'?

OTTAWA - Medical marijuana user Russell Barth wants to know what the
government was smoking when it came up with its guidelines on how to
dispose of old weed stashes.

"To dispose of dried marijuana or marijuana plants it must first be
rendered unfit for use or consumption," Health Canada says. "One way
is to blend the marijuana with water and mix it with cat littler to
mask the odour. This can then be placed in your regular household garbage."

First, Barth says, the stuff is compost - not garbage.

And second: "This is absurd."

"There's not one person in the country who would do that, trust me,"
he said. "Throw out my perfectly good medication? No."

Health Canada's advice comes just before the phase-out of the old
medical marijuana licensing program - which allows licences to be
given to people who grow their own for medical purposes. Starting
April 1, only licensed producers will be allowed to grow.

The 30,000-some Canadians who currently grow their own medical crop
have until April 1 to dispose of old stashes.

Chad Clelland, director of communications at MedicalMarijuana.ca,
worries that users who don't dispose of leftover stashes will be
criminalized, something Health Canada has confirmed. "Their
prescriptions are still valid but they're being asked to get rid of
something they've already paid for," he said.

Clelland, like Barth, believes "anybody in their right mind" will
likely decline to toss excess stash. Especially since Health Canada
has no guarantee it will have enough weed to supply all patients by
April 1.  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D