Taxing medical cannabis hurts vulnerable patients

The government recently announced that not only will the sales tax on medical cannabis continue, but that it will also be subject to the same excise tax as recreational cannabis.

If patients with legitimate medical need pay just as much tax for their cannabis as do those Canadians looking to use cannabis recreationally, fewer of these patients will bother going to their doctor when they can simply buy cannabis at a retail store. This will hurt their overall quality of medical care, writes Gordon Fox. The Hill Times file photograph

Opinion

BY GORDON FOX

December 7, 2017

With so much attention focused on the Trudeau government’s plans to legalize recreational cannabis, it is important to not forget the thousands of Canadians currently benefiting from treatment with medical cannabis. Unfortunately, some of the decisions the government is making today are disadvanta...

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