Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), on January 14, 2010, the Supreme Court of Canada, SCC, dismissed the Government of Canada’s request for leave to appeal in the British Columbia Supreme Court decision in R v. Beren and Swallow. The Government of Canada has amended the Marihuana Medical Access Regulations, MMAR, in response to this ruling.
As well, the Government of Canada is considering longer-term options for reform of the marijuana medical access program, MMAP. The regulations governing access to marijuana for medical purposes will continue to balance reasonable access to the product with the government’s responsibility to regulate it as a controlled substance, and to protect the health and safety of all Canadians.
In resonse to (b), a briefing note was provided to the Minister of Health on the possible impact of the January 14, 2010 SCC decision. Health Canada provided verbal information to Justice Canada officials.
In response to (c), at this time, Health Canada is still in the process of developing options which include consultation strategies.
In response to (d), no consultations have occurred at this time. When a formal consultation strategy is finalized, details will be made public.
In response to (e), Health Canada considers the views of Canadians to be paramount in the development of laws that protect their health and safety. It is expected that any consultations undertaken will provide input, evidence and advice to the department on issues such as health, safety, medical usage, environmental risks and concerns of Canadians.
In response to (f), given that options are currently being developed and considered, Health Canada cannot comment at this time on any short- and long-term plans regarding potential changes to the regulations governing marijuana for medical purposes in Canada.