Canada plans dagga project
2004-03-22 09:56
Toronto - Canada plans to make government-certified dagga available in local pharmacies, a move that would make Canada the second country in the world after the Netherlands to allow the direct sale of medical marijuana.
Officials are organising a pilot project in British Columbia, modelled on a year-old programme in the Netherlands.
Currently, there are 78 medical users in Canada permitted to buy government dagga, which is grown in Flin Flon, Manitoba.
A 30g bag of dried buds, sells for US$113 each and are sent by courier directly to patients or to their doctors.
But the department is changing the regulations to allow participating pharmacies to stock dagga for sale to approved patients without a doctor's prescription, similar to regulations governing so-called morning-after pills, emergency contraceptives that can be obtained directly from a pharmacist without the need for a doctor's signature.
- SAPA