Medical cannabis authorized by health care practitioners has suffered with the legalization of adult use recreational cannabis. On many fronts, patient needs have taken a back seat to concerns of suspected misuse of the medical stream. The parity between the medical and adult-use frameworks on product formats, packaging, taxes and duties has impaired patient access to medical cannabis. The needs of Canadians using cannabis for medical purposes must come first and warrant a renewed approach to medical cannabis. The Statutory Review of the Cannabis Act provides a timely opportunity to build on the lessons learned for medical cannabis and make needed changes.

C3 has brought together leaders from across the medical cannabis community to share their perspectives on the current state of medical cannabis in Canada, solutions to the challenges facing patient access to medical cannabis, and the future of medical cannabis.