Marijuana plants. (Credit: MarijuanaPropagation.com under CC-BY-SA 4.0)

On the corner of 18th St. and Park Ave., a billboard prominently advertises for Erbachay, a medicinal marijuana dispensary based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Erbachay promises nation wide delivery of their products, provided that their customers are over the age of 19 and can provide proof of medical need. The proof comes in the form of a prescription from a doctor, chiropractor, naturopath, or any other health care professional who is legally capable of writing a script. In the FAQ portion of Erbachay’s website, however, it states that the prescription does not need to be for cannabis – “just for any medication, this is sufficient enough to show us that you have medical need.”

While there is definitely merit in the use of medicinal marijuana as a means of controlling pain, anxiety, depression, and a myriad of other things, it should be cautioned that recreational use of marijuana is not yet legalized in Canada. The Government of Canada website warns that storefront dispensaries are not licensed by Health Canada under current laws, and are illegal. More information about marijuana legislation can be found at www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/marijuana/law-loi.html.

In terms of the shipment of medicinal marijuana, as long as the seller holds a Designated-Person Production License from Health Canada, and the person receiving has both a valid prescription and an authorization to possess, the product can be shipped through Canada Post – granted that it is packaged according to Health Canada guidelines.

The Quill doesn’t judge those with prescriptions for medical marijuana, but we do encourage our readers to be responsibly, and obtain the medication from licensed, reputable sellers.

Republished from The Quill print edition, Volume 107, Issue 21, February 7th, 2017.