Thank you, Chair, and to the standing committee, for the invitation to appear here today.
My name is Jonathan Zaid. I'm the Founder of Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana, commonly known as CFAMM. I'm a medical cannabis patient myself.
I will introduce CFAMM briefly, and then pass it off to James, the president and CEO.
CFAMM is a national non-profit organization that has successfully represented medical cannabis patients since 2014. With a membership of over 20,000 Canadians, the organization has emerged as the thoughtful grassroots voice for medical cannabis in the non-profit advocacy space.
We are joined by a coalition of non-profit organizations, who are also recommending the elimination of tax on medical cannabis. The coalition includes the Arthritis Society, the Canadian AIDS Society, the Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance, the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association, the Canadian Nurses Association, the Canadian Pharmacists Association, the Canadian Spondylitis Association, the Cardiac Health Foundation of Canada, the GI Society, the Huntington Society of Canada, and the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.
Affordability of medical cannabis remains an urgent crisis for the majority of patients. Insurers rarely cover the costs of medical cannabis, meaning the majority of expenses are paid out of pocket.
The reason we are before you today is to discuss Bill C-74's proposed application of sin taxes on medical cannabis, which, if passed, will be detrimental to the 269,000 Canadians using cannabis for medical purposes. We are calling on you to support the rights of sick Canadians and drop the proposed excise tax on medical cannabis.
Now I'll pass it off to James.