REGINA – Jeff Mcnab began growing his own marijuana five years ago after receiving a personal license to use the drug for chronic pain.
“I was just someone that wanted to take a more natural route with my medication,” he said.
He’s now the master grower for High Way 10 Cannabis Pharms near Balgonie, a business which took a year to get off the ground. He said he’s hopeful new Health Canada regulations, which come into effect on April 1, will make the rules governing the industry more black and white.
“They will legitimize the business and legitimize the growers. They will bring the growers out of the basement, which is nonsense in the first place,” he said.
However, he’s disappointed at the process – his approval is still pending, meaning in two weeks, the company will have to destroy its entire crop to comply with the law.
“It hurts. I’ve put a lot of time and effort and passion into what I do and I’ve helped a lot of people,” said Mcnab.
The Green Canvas in Regina is currently in the process of destroying its plants as well. The Green Canvas has also applied for a license to continue selling medicinal marijuana, but has also not yet been approved.
“That’s an interesting thing. There are only eight companies that have been approved right now under Health Canada’s legislation, but they will not have the supply necessary for all Canadians who are in possession of a license to use cannabis,” said The Green Canvas CEO, Tim Selenski.
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And that poses another problem.
“Med patients will be forced to turn to the black market to access their marijuana again,” he said.
“I would suggest that might not be a reasonable justification for breaking the law,” said Elizabeth Popowich with the Regina Police Service.
Both Regina Police and RCMP say they will enforce the rules.
“The illicit marijuana use and criminality around it, we recognize harms individuals and harms communities,” said Sgt. Craig Cleary of the RCMP.
Growers who do not comply could therefore be charged.
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