Canadian Pharmacies to Sell Medical Cannabis

Starting in early 2006, Canadians who want to use cannabis for medical purposes will be able to purchase the drug at select pharmacies, the Canadian Press reported Sept. 14.

Health Canada plans to let certified medical-cannabis patients get their drugs from pharmacies, basing the distribution system on that used in the Netherlands. Currently, a government contractor grows and distributes cannabis to 237 Health Canada patients, sending $150, 30-gram bags of cannabis by courier to patients or their physicians. Other medical-cannabis patients are authorized to grow the drug themselves, but Health Canada would like to see a pharmacist act as an intermediary between the drugs and patients.

The agency is now identifying a network of urban and rural pharmacies that can distribute cannabis. "Ideally, we’d like to run it in more than one province," said Health Canada spokesperson Christopher Williams. "Once we recruit the pharmacists, we’ll make sure (they) receive specialized training in dispensing the cannabis for medical purposes."

A nationwide distribution system could take up to three years to establish, according to the agency.

Source: www.jointogether.org, 15.9.05