A P.E.I. group is joining the national call for medical cannabis to be tax-free.
A panel discussion and Q&A session will be part of a “Don’t Tax Medicine” event at the Farm Centre in Charlottetown today from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The federal budget confirmed a plan for a $1 excise tax per gram on both medical and recreational cannabis.
The proposal has a number of advocates and producers calling on the government to treat medical cannabis the same as any other prescription.
P.E.I. medical cannabis advocate Annie MacEachern said the excise tax is in addition to the HST medical patients are already subjected to.
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She described medical cannabis as useful in harm reduction, pointing to studies that showed the number of opioid-related deaths decreasing in states that have legalized medical and recreational cannabis.
“When (medical cannabis) is not considered a regular prescription, it doesn’t have a DIN (Drug Identification Number) associated with it. We’re kind of discouraging people from taking a harm reduction approach, especially people who struggle with addictions,” said MacEachern, who added the goal of the event is to help educate patients and public of the cannabis tax and what they can do to enact change.
The event, which is being hosted by P.E.I.-based Gocanna, will include three local medical cannabis patients and industry stakeholders on a panel discussion as well as a Q&A session and light refreshments.
Dr. Sana-Ara Ahmed, a chronic pain specialist with Alberta’s The Health Boutique, will also share her insight.
MacEachern said she was unable to find an Island doctor willing to discuss medical cannabis, so she offered to bring in outside expertise via Skype to provide information.
“If local doctors don’t feel knowledgeable about using cannabis as a medicine, that’s OK,” said MacEachern. “But I hope that they will come out on Wednesday night because I think they are sure to learn something new.”
The event is also being presented in partnership with Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana and sponsored by Organigram, which is one of three licensed producers that will be providing products to P.E.I.’s cannabis retail locations.
