Trevor Greenway reports:
Tens of thousands of medical marijuana patients across the country are receiving a mass mailing from Health Canada exposing them as medical cannabis users and many are now in panic mode.
The letter, which Health Canada says was sent to 40,000 people, comes in a white envelope, and has a return address with the words “Medical Marijuana Access Program” written across the top, followed by the patient’s name and address. Many people say their privacy has been violated and fear their houses may be robbed and their home growing gardens targeted.
Read more on Metro.
It was an “administrative error,” but wow, that’s bad…
I have a few points to make. Firstly, Living in a small town where privacy is hard to attain on any given day as locals either may know you, or know someone that knows you; and receiving a mail out like this has been extremely uncomfortable. Since this recent mail out is just one of many, with no prior issue of breach of confidentiality of my personal health information, I find it very hard to accept administrative error as a plausible reason for this happening. Any mail out would be reviewed and approved prior to sending as a standard.
Secondly, on the eve of licensed home marijuana growers having their license to grow their medicine at home taken away, their homes are now not only a target by the breach of confidentiality, but a focus of attention on many levels. Thirdly, daring not to assume, but knowing the prices of medical marijuana available through health Canada online, one would naturally contemplate the feasibility of those aforementioned medical marijuana users being able to afford their medicine. Therefore, they may not have access to their medicine any longer once this takes effect; and/or will be living in fear of authority and of those who may seek to steal their medicine, thereby being placed in harms way. On several levels this is very concerning.
The current government is still preaching reefer madness. They ignore most drug abusers were drunk when they went to hard drugs or started on meds from the medicine cabinet. Beer is a bigger gateway drug than pot but like all right wing bullies it gets support from the base and more importantly political donations.
Meanwhile thousands with glaucoma, cancer etc. that grow their own because they cant afford to buy will have 0 access and suffer. There is nothing in the MMA changes about subsidies for the patients that will be without.
The Canadian government should be charged with human rights abuses for increasing suffering by stopping access to a legal medicine for thousands.
This danger of criminals sniffing in houses if exposed of being a marijuana user is really making people nervous. Even medical marijuana in Canada has been legalized but still people can’t have its full benefits.