Infographic: B.C.’s two systems for medical marijuana

One year on, two systems for medical marijuana continue to (awkwardly) co-exist

What are you smoking?
Medical marijuana marketing rules are strict: no social media advertising, no colourful names and no allusions to its recreational use

On the day Health Canada’s old regulations for medical marijuana were set to expire, a federal court granted an injunction that preserved the system of home-growers, for the time being at least. The two systems—the first a web of independent growers, the second a handful of savvy growers—have lived side-by-side for much of the last year. And while Health Canada’s sluggish approval process and a regulatory flop in Washington State (officials there miscalculated demand and ended up with a costly oversupply of pot) have delayed momentum, Ottawa’s Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR) have been an important step in what many see as an inevitable move toward full-on legalization.