Medical Cannabis Patients Shocked By New Tax

Ottawa tabled new tax legislation for recreational cannabis earlier this Autumn. The proposed excise tax extends to patients of medical marijuana, which comes as a huge shock to patients and advocacy groups.

The tax would be one dollar per gram or ten percent of the prescription cost, whichever is higher. Funds will be split between the federal and provincial governments in addition to the 15% HST that is already applied to the medicine.

Some patients are already struggling to make ends meet since most insurance programs refuse to offer coverage for medical cannabis.

“They say if it doesn’t have a drug identification number, then they can’t do anything about it,” said Tamara, patient of medical cannabis. “Being on a fixed income, if I didn’t have my family, I honestly don’t know if I’d be here today… They are going into debt to help cover my medication so I can stay alive.”

The Liberal MP, Bill Blair, who leads the government effort says the tax will discourage recreational users from abusing the medical system.

National advocacy group, Canadians For Fair Access to Medical Marijuana has started a petition against any taxation on medical cannabis. They say it’s outrageous to place an additional cost burden on those who are already suffering from disease.

Local advocacy groups in Fredericton, such as Cannawellness, are concerned with the barriers additional cost could create for those seeking to access the medicine.

“I’d say access and cost are number one the biggest issues,” said Caleb Mazurkiewicz, Cannawellness founder. “I think that it should be treated like every other prescription medication and just not be taxed up front.”

Not every physician is willing to recommend medical cannabis because of a social stigma that still surrounds the treatment.

For many, access to legal cannabis may be fun and games, but patients like Tamara say it can be the difference between life and death.