Finance committee  To start with your last question first, yes, we would like to see that removed. The impact has been very significant, because you're now talking about compounding tax. You're talking about tax on tax. That has already put medicine, which was already very difficult for most patients to fund because they are economically challenged, out of reach even more.

Finance committee  Thank you, Chair and the standing committee, for the invitation to appear today. My name is James O'Hara, and I'm the president and CEO of Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana, commonly known as CFAMM. I'm a medical cannabis patient myself. CFAMM is a national non-profit organization that has successfully represented medical cannabis patients since 2014.

Finance committee  The implications have been profound, frankly, from the get-go, and they continue to be a significant challenge. You're absolutely right. We hear from patients constantly, day in and day out, about the different challenges they face. Not only are they facing the economic challenges you mentioned in terms of having to choose between food and other things in order to live; they are constantly battling against pharmaceutical drugs being offered to them at a lower cost, which they know may not necessarily be good for them or may take them down a very dangerous path.

Finance committee  Thank you, Chairman, and members of the committee, for the invitation to speak with you today. Let me get right to it. It's unlikely I'll need my full time today since these are fairly simple and straightforward points that I'll outline for you. The main reason that this government has made statements over and over again for maintaining taxes on medical cannabis is that non-medical users wishing to purchase cannabis will flock to take advantage of the medical system and abuse the very system that is designed for medical patients.

Finance committee  Thank you, Jonathan. Hi, my name is James O'Hara, and I'm the President and CEO of Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana. I'm also a former bank vice-president who is now a medical cannabis patient. I have a number of conditions which I successfully treat using medical cannabis: focal seizures, osteoarthritis, and asthma.

Finance committee  Mr. Zaid will start first.