Friday 14 April 2017

Medical marijuana facility expects fewer users with legalization

Laura Woodward

A Saskatoon medical marijuana facility fears their business will be at risk as the federal government moves to legalize weed.

“Once it is legal, I don’t think medical patients will use the medical system,” said Lauren Taylor, an information specialist at Saskatoon’s National Access Cannabis centre.

NAC helps people access medical marijuana through their physician.

Taylor speculates, when weed is legal, more options of strains in the recreational market will be available and, therefore, fewer people will choose the medical route.

“We can educate people on the strains and the dosing, we can help them navigate that world, but why they would buy it from a licensed producer? I don’t know that there is any incentive,” Taylor said.

The medical marijuana market is limited, according to Taylor, but once the drug becomes legal, more marijuana forms like edibles, tinctures and locations will be accessible.

How pot will be sold after legalization is not yet clear. The Liberal government announced Thursday it would let the provinces decide the retail rules for retail environments.

The government is aiming to legalize marijuana by July 2018.

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