The Nanaimo-based Medicinal Cannabis Resource Centre Inc. is saying that a “reliable source” is telling them that Health Canada will allow patients up to six plants under the revised MMPR system.
The federal government has until Aug. 24 to include provisions for patients to grow their own cannabis after a court ruling earlier this year found the restriction violated the rights of patients.
“While this information cannot be confirmed until August, our source has informed us of a proposed six plant maximum for patients who want to grow their own medical marijuana,” MCRCI posted to facebook.
MCRCI is not a dispensary, but operates as a conduit between patients, physicians and government lisenced producers, who then supply the patients with medicinal cannabis.
In response to the rumour, lawyer Kirk Tousaw said the government could be openng themselves up to further legal battles.
“If the new law is six plants (less than every Allard plaintiff needs) the injunction may stay and we will sue again,” he wrote on Twitter.
The statements echo those of John Conroy, lead on the Allard case.
“We await the new medical regs on or before Aug. 24, 2016, and if we don’t like them I guess we’ll be going back to court,” Conroy wrote on his website, following a decision last week not to expand the scope of the Allard decision.
The rumours were quickly called out by the cannabis community, questioning how patients could be expected to medicate with only six plants.
“How do you manage strains, sexing, clones, veg, budding, mothers and selective breeding with six plants?” asked cannabis industry consultants Eric Nash on Wendy Little on Twitter, calling the idea “unworkable.”
A representative from Health Canada couldn’t confirm or deny the rumour, saying that the government won’t be releasing any details on the new regulations until August.
A reliable source has informed us that #medicalmarijuana patients will be allowed to grow up to 6 plants under new regulations by Aug 24 ’16
— MCRCI (@MCRCI) May 9, 2016