Medical marijuana patients can grow own cannabis, judge rules
Judge Michael Phelan struck down federal legislation introduced by the previous Conservative government that barred patients from growing their own plants and required them to buy from licenced producers.
JUSTIN TANG / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Patients have demonstrated that marijuana can be produced safely, with limited risk to public safety and consistent with the promotion of public health, a Federal Court judge said.
VANCOUVER—A Federal Court judge has struck down “arbitrary and overbroad” legislation introduced by the former Conservative government that barred medical marijuana patients from growing their own cannabis.
Judge Michael Phelan found the law violated patients’ charter rights, but he suspended his decision for six months to allow the federal Liberal government time to create a new medical marijuana regime.
Phelan also extended a court injunction allowing people who held licences to continue to grow their own marijuana.
The constitutional challenge was launched by four British Columbia residents who argued that the 2013 Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations blocked their access to affordable medicine.
“Their lives have been adversely impacted by the imposition of the relatively new regime to control the use of marijuana for medical purposes,” Phelan wrote.
“I agree that the plaintiffs have . . . demonstrated that cannabis can be produced safely and securely with limited risk to public safety and consistently with the promotion of public health.”
Kirk Tousaw, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, hailed the decision as a victory not just for medical cannabis patients, but all Canadians.
He called on the federal government to allow new patients to grow medical marijuana. About 28,000 people held licences under the old regime and are covered by the injunction. Two of the plaintiffs were not covered by the injunction, he said.
“They’re suffering because they have an inability to access sufficient quantities of medicine to meet their medical needs as a result of the government’s actions,” he said.
“The health minister, prime minister, they need to act very quickly. Don’t wait the six months. Don’t come up with a lame and weak response as the previous governments have.”
Health Minister Jane Philpott said it was too early to say if the government would appeal. She said she will be working with the Justice Department to ensure there’s an appropriate regulatory regime in place.
The Liberal government has committed to legalizing recreational marijuana, but has said little about any plans for medical marijuana since being elected.
Philpott said recreational and medical cannabis should be treated as “two separate issues.”
“We’re going to have to completely review the regulations around access to medical marijuana,” she told reporters in Ottawa.
Canada’s system involving licensed producers has grown into a multimillion-dollar industry, and the decision caused stock prices to dip. Canopy Growth Corp. share prices on the on the TSX Venture Exchange had dropped about 7 per cent as of Wednesday afternoon.
Mark Zekulin, president of Tweed Marijuana Inc., a subsidiary of Canopy, said it would be “heartbreaking” if the federal government shut down the licensed-producer system entirely. But he doesn’t expect that will happen.
“We’ve built a world-class facility . . . and are producing very high-quality product that you can’t get anywhere else,” he said. “I don’t think six months from now it’s just going to get shuttered and people are going to be out of jobs.”
Peace Naturals CEO Mark Gobuty said personal growing can co-exist with licensed producers in a regulatory regime.
“We’re all allowed to grow tomatoes and cucumbers at home, but how many of us do?” he asked. “If that is what’s in the best interest of all Canadians, then I’m all for it.”
The Cannabis Patients Association of Canada, which represents people who held licences to grow marijuana under the old regime, applauded the decision.
“This is about putting the rights of the patient at the centre of public policy decision-making,” executive director John Lorenz said in a statement.
But Ronan Levy of Canadian Cannabis Clinics, a network of Ontario medical marijuana clinics, said allowing people to grow their own marijuana might make doctors more wary of prescribing it.
“Can you imagine what it would be like if you went to a doctor, they prescribe antibiotics, and you got to go home and mix up your own antibiotics? I don’t think doctors are going to be comfortable with that,” he said.
The judge awarded costs to the plaintiffs to be determined by the court at a later date.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/02/24/medical-marijuana-patients-can-grow-own-cannabis-judge-rules.html
Canadians Sued The Bank Of Canada & Won. Mainstream Media & Government Blacks Out Story
Recently, constitutional lawyer Rocco Galati won yet another round of appeals set forth by the Bank of Canada in a case involving two Canadians who filed an action in federal court to restore The Bank of Canada to its original purpose and operations. This is a very significant story but you probably haven’t heard of it. Why? The mainstream media and government have blacked out the story for reasons that appear to stem from fear of how the public will react to realizing they’ve been systematically enslaved for decades.
Significant Legal Action
The initial federal court filing took place on December 12th, 2011 by Canadian constitutional lawyer, Rocco Galati, on behalf of Canadians William Krehm, Ann Emmett, and COMER (Committee for Monetary and Economic Reform). The filing is intended to “restore the use of the Bank of Canada to its original purpose, by exercising its public statutory duty and responsibility. That purpose includes making interest free loans to the municipal/provincial/federal governments for “human capital” expenditures (education health, other social services) and / or infrastructure expenditures.”
According to WestCoastNativeNews: (Note: Website may temporarily be down)
The Plaintiffs state that since 1974 there has been a gradual but sure slide into the reality that the Bank of Canada and Canada’s monetary and financial policy are dictated by private foreign banks and financial interests contrary to the Bank of Canada Act.
The plaintiffs state that the defendants (officials) are unwittingly and/or wittingly, in varying degrees, knowledge and intent engaged in a conspiracy, along with the Bank of International Settlements (BIS), Financial Stability Forum (FSF), International Monetary Fund (IMF) to render impotent the Bank of Canada Act as well as Canadian sovereignty over financial, monetary, and socio-economic policy, and bypass the sovereign rule of Canada through its parliament by means of the banking and financial systems.http://www.pacificfreepress.com/news/1/10573-confronting-global-finance-in-canadas-courts.html
The truth is, The Bank of Canada used to issue debt free loans to the government, which meant that the nation would not go into debt to private banking institutions. When that changed, private bankers/corporations essentially gained control and ownership of the country.
Media Black Out
As stated by constitutional lawyer Rocco Galati in the video below, sources have indicated to him that the government will often instruct the mainstream media, when it comes to certain stories, as to whether or not they can cover the story or how they should go about covering it. This means that government can effectively control the media and hide information from the public whenever it likes, unless it trickles through alternative news sources like what you are reading right now.
Why This Is Important
Although not the ultimate solution to the world’s challenges, this is significant because it shows how serious the public is getting about wanting to change the way our current system operates. It also indicates a clear shift in public knowledge about how our system and infrastructures work. The more the people know, the more they seem to be demanding change.
This begs the questions: why is this information being kept quiet? How has it been hidden for such a long time? Why would our governments be making decisions about things that greatly affect the average person without them having any vote, knowledge, or choice in the matter?
In my view, it goes back to the fact that there are leaders in our world, beyond government, who are systematically manipulating various systems and structures in across the globe to control the population. Once viewed as wild conspiracy theories, this understanding is becoming not only self-evident, but publicly accepted knowledge as well. This latest case helps to illustrate how these ‘elite leaders’ are intentionally making moves that are not beneficial for the people whatsoever.
The bottom line is, we are seeing a positive shift in awareness and consciousness as people begin thinking about and seeing our world differently. This is fuelling action that I believe will lead towards a freer and better world.
Latest Update
Check out the video below for the latest update on recent appeals that are now heading to the supreme court for further ruling.
court for further ruling.
Thanks to Press For Truth for the following video.
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/02/05/canadians-sued-the-bank-of-canada-won-mainstream-media-government-blacks-out-story/
BREAKING Putin announces Syrian ceasefire agreement with the US
