Quebec’s Bill 2, written to raise the legal age for cannabis consumption and ban public smoking, is the target of a new petition from Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana (CFAMM), who would like to see exemptions made for medical cannabis patients, The Growth Op reports.
Bill 2 was introduced in late 2018 after cannabis was legalized throughout Canada. Quebec already has some of the most stringent cannabis laws in Canada now aims to create even more repressive rules for cannabis consumers and operators.
CFAMM is circling a petition in response that requests exemptions for medical cannabis patients, permitting them to consume cannabis anywhere that tobacco is allowed. According to CFAMM, tens of thousands of medical cannabis patients in Quebec will be denied access to their medicine should Bill 2 be made law as it’s worded now.
“The potential benefits of medical cannabis, combined with growing public interest in this plant, provides the government with an opportunity to be proactive and include an exemption in the law for the use of medical cannabis. This will not only rightfully recognize the rights of medical cannabis patients, but will also help in removing the social stigma around medical cannabis use.” — Antoine Roussel, spokesperson for CFAMM, via the Growth Op
Public Health officials in Quebec have also come out against Bill 2, saying that raising the legal age to 21 will not discourage those younger than that age from consuming cannabis but instead will force them into the illicit market.
The legislation is still being debated.
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