BCPhA Response to B.C. Government Retail Framework for Non-Medical Cannabis

February 5, 2018 – The BC Pharmacy Association (BCPhA) applauds the B.C. Government’s decision to make a clear distinction between non-medical cannabis and medical cannabis by ensuring retailers selling recreational products can’t label their businesses pharmacies.

The BC Pharmacy Association has had long-standing concerns about the many illegal marijuana retailers in B.C. who have set up shop under the guise of selling medicine by using terms like “dispensary” and “farmacy”. In our recent submission to the BC government’s Cannabis Secretariat, we urged the government to restrict the term “dispensary” to only professionals regulated under the Health Professions Act (HPA).

Today the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General released details on B.C.’s proposed retail framework for recreational cannabis in the province. Non-medicinal cannabis retailers will be prohibited from using the terms “pharmacy”, “apothecary”, and “dispensary” or other terms that would lead the public to believe they provide medical cannabis.

B.C.’s community pharmacists believe there is a real need to make a clear distinction between recreational and medicinal cannabis and this decision by the BC government is an important step in doing that.

“Thousands of Canadians rely on medicinal cannabis to manage their health issues. They have the right to know they are getting that medication from legitimate providers,” said Geraldine Vance, CEO of the BC Pharmacy Association.

The BCPhA has urged the province to press the federal government to move up the arbitrary timeline set to revisit the distribution of medicinal cannabis. In B.C. where hundreds of retailers falsely promote the sale of medicinal cannabis, there is an urgent need to move quickly to put a legitimate distribution system in place to provide patients with verifiable medicinal cannabis.

To read the BCPhA Submission on B.C. Cannabis Regulation, visit https://www.bcpharmacy.ca/advocacy/submissions