UBC's Cannabis Access Regulations Study looks at Canada's medical marijuana rules

People who use medical marijuana have seen a lot of changes in the way they access pot lately. New research out of UBC is examining how regulations and red tape are affecting patients who have come to rely on the plant’s therapeutic benefits.

Up until about this time last year, the federal Marihuana Medical Access Regulations allowed licence holders to grow pot themselves or find designated growers. The new Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations, which require patients to buy from commercially licensed producers, have been held up by a court injunction, leaving the old program in place for patients who were already enrolled. That means some people are getting their pot legally and some aren’t.

The UBC study, designed to look at the early impact of the new regulations on patient access to medical cannabis, involved a survey of about 450 patients across the country and interviews with about 30.

“The study is patient-centred, looking at their experiences with access to medical cannabis under the current situation,” PhD student Rielle Capler tells the Georgia Straight by phone. “Originally, it was anticipated there would be a gradual and definite change in regulations, and, as it turned out, there was a court injunction…which led to an overlap of different regulations. So we’re looking at a snapshot of that: what the experience of access is like under either of the legal frameworks.”

“This is patients’ input into the evaluation of these programs,” adds Capler, who is conducting the Cannabis Access Regulations Study with UBC nursing professor Lynda Balneaves. “It can give valuable information to policymakers, as well as to health-care practitioners and to providers of the service so they can be responsive to the needs of patients.”

The researchers set out to answer several questions, Capler says, including: What kind of changes related to access have patients seen? Who is getting access through legal programs and who isn’t, and why? Are services offered under legal programs meeting patients’ needs? Are they able to access medical marijuana in a timely manner?

Then there’s the subject of “reasonable access”.

“The goal of the regulation is to provide reasonable access to those in medical need,” Capler says. “What does ‘reasonable access’ mean for them [patients]? It’s something that hasn’t been defined.…Has that been achieved…and for whom?”

Capler says results from the study will be released later this year. However, cost has already been identified as one barrier to access. Growing their own pot means patients can spend as little as $2 a gram. Under the new regulations, that could be $10 per gram or higher, depending on the producer.

“Are patients able to afford the medicine from different sources? How do they feel about the quality and nature of services of different sources?” Capler asks. “Ideally, people wouldn’t have to go outside the law to get their needs met.…Maybe this information will support that goal.”