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What was disturbing to a medical cannabis patient was learning when Ms McLellan was the Minister of Health, in 2002 she felt “a certain degree of discomfort” around the issue of medical marijuana. She said “the courts took us down a certain path,” arguing it was not her government ’s choice to allow the use of cannabis for medical purposes.
What can Canadians expect from a task force on cannabis headed by the very person that was against legislation for the use of cannabis for medical purposes in the first place?
More than a year after this appointment, the Honourable A. Anne McLellan admitted that the courts have helped push the government into accepting the huge amount of experiential evidence heard
attesting to the important therapeutic benefits in cannabis - in the various forms and doses personally chosen.
The task force faced certain contentious issues that Ms. McLellan revealed as follows:
Medical:
The Canadian Medical Association felt quite strongly that a separate medical cannabis regime was not necessary under an 'adult cannabis user system'. However, the task force recommended that a separate regime be maintained for at least another five years, before a thorough review can be made.
Personal Cultivation:
The task force recommended that personal cultivation, strictly for personal use only, be limited to around four plants at a maximum height of 100cm
In terms of international treaty obligations, Ms McLellan stated that legalizing cannabis, along with regulating and licensing it, complies with the spirit of the international drug control treaties since the treaties speak to fairness, justice and public health . The perceived objectives of these treaties include the protection of youth and young people including keeping them out of criminal situations.
The task force has lead to Bill C-45 - Cannabis Act - First reading in Parliament