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One day after allowing the use of e-cigarettes for vaping medical marijuana in Ontario, Kathleen Wynne, the Canadian Premier is reconsidering the decision.
One day after allowing the use of e-cigarettes for vaping medical marijuana in Ontario, Kathleen Wynne, the Canadian Premier is reconsidering the decision.
According to her press statement, the government is bound to go back on the decision, taking the regulation ‘back to the drawing board’. Vaping medical marijuana will be restricted so as the places that don’t allow e-cigarettes are not subject to allowing medical marijuana vaping.
The Associate Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, Dipika Damerla also announced that one day after the decision to allow vaping medical marijuana, Ontario’s policy is bound for reconsideration. The use of e-cigarettes for vaping medical marijuana in Ontario was meant for the 23,000 patients in Canada who are registered for medical marijuana use. The Ontario province would have been lifting restrictions on e-cigarettes starting next year.
While the use of e-cigarettes is banned in places and areas where smoking is also not permitted, the new policy would have allowed their use just for vaping medical marijuana. However, that entails the use of medical marijuana in restaurants, in the office or in parks, regardless of private interests and regulations.
However, with the revision of the policy in sight, business owners such as those owning cafes or restaurants or employers still have the last word on allowing or prohibiting vaping medical marijuana from the office or the premises of a business. It might come as a blow for those who are severely impaired by pain or other conditions and who need their treatment regularly. Yet, vaping medical marijuana is still perceived as an activity that should be confined to the privacy of one’s home.
Dipika Damerla also noted that in revisiting the exemption policy, all comments received from communities, business owners, employers and the media will be taken into consideration and influence the final decision.
Premier Wynne stated in front of the Ontario Liberal Provincial Council that speaking for herself she would find it disturbing if someone vaped medical marijuana in a theater next to her. While she remains sympathetic towards those in need, she asks that understanding of the public perception is also taken into account.
Photo Credits: Flickr
