Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 01, 2013, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B2 B 2 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013 CITY winnipegfreepress. com Nearly one third of all deaths on Manitoba roads involve an impaired driver. To prevent drinking and driving, Manitoba Public Insurance funds RoadWatch , a program that puts extra enforcement on the roads from May until November. Keep our roads safe by deciding in advance how you will get home if your plans include drinking. Visit our website for more driving tips and help reduce risk on Manitoba's roads. mpi. mb. ca Driving Tips Have a friend pick you up at home and take you to your destination. Arrange for a friend to be the designated driver and take people home. Program the numbers of different cab companies in your phone. Leave your keys at home Designate a driver Call a cab to go home Don't drink and drive IS THIS YOUR LUCKY CATALOGUE NUMBER? To get entered, visit a Best Sleep Centre near you! If you have the winning flyer contact info@ bestsleepcentre. com to collect your prize! YOU HAVE JUST WON $ 10,000 WORTH OF FURNITURE FROM Video of Draw For full list of terms and conditions please go to bestsleepcentre. com DRAW# 5 $ 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 G I V E A W A Y ! RELIABLE MOBILITY HOME HEALTHCARE CENTRE . NEW . USED . RENTALS . SALES . SERVICE . CONSIGNMENT 66 6 ST . JA ME S ST RE ET 2 0 4 - 7 7 4 - 6 3 2 2 ac ro ss from Se ar s @ P ol o Pa rk www. reliablemobility. com A CANADIAN coalition is challenging a change to medical- marijuana rules that prevents patients from growing their own pot. The new program, called the Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations, is scheduled to take effect April 1, 2014. The changes include a provision that will prevent patients from growing their own marijuana and force them to buy from licensed producers. Health Canada will also stop selling medical marijuana directly under the new program. Health Canada said the purpose of the new program is to treat marijuana like any other narcotic. The MMAR ( Marijuana Medical Access Regulations) Coalition Against Repeal, an organization that boasts more than 3,400 members across the country, is taking action. Winnipegger Mike Milne, the Manitoba representative for the coalition, said the new program will make marijuana too expensive for many current patients. " Every patient I know will not be able to afford the new prices for medicine. That will unfortunately turn ( the patients) into criminals," Milne said. " The regulations will provide access to quality- controlled marijuana for medical purposes, produced under secure and sanitary conditions, to those Canadians who need it," Sara Lauer, a Health Canada spokeswoman, countered via email. In order to bring the issue to the government, the coalition has hired John Conroy, an Abbotsford, B. C., defence lawyer, who has previously counselled in Supreme Court cases involving the legality of cannabis and spoken to government committees about illegal drugs. Conroy said the main issue with the new program is it violates the constitutional rights of growers and patients. While he said he welcomes large parts of the new program, it needs to provide a way for those who can't afford to buy marijuana to have reasonable access, as guaranteed by the Constitution. " We say the new ( regulations) are unconstitutional to the extent that they don't provide for a personal production," Conroy said. The plan right now is to start a " representative action" by the end of September, Conroy said. This action would include taking victim- impact statements and presenting them to the government. If it looks as if a decision won't be made before the new rules come in place, Conroy said an application for an injunction would be filed by November. That way, the old rules could continue until a decision is made, he said. - with files from Adam Wazny oliver. sachgau@ freepress. mb. ca Changes to come The Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations will replace the Marijuana Medical Access Regulations on April 1, 2014. Major changes include: . Patients would only be able to obtain medical marijuana from a licensed producer with whom they are registered. Patients would not be allowed to grow their own marijuana. Health Canada would also no longer sell medical marijuana. . Individuals and corporations would be able to apply to become licensed producers. A licence would be valid for up to three years at a time. Producers would be subject to strict regulations in terms of how they grow their marijuana, how they store and secure it, as well as how they distribute or export it. Producers would not be allowed to supply medical marijuana to themselves. . The price of medical marijuana would not be regulated by Health Canada. Instead, it would be up to producers to set their own prices. Medical- pot reform gets legal challenge Group says new rules will hike prices By Oliver Sachgau PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Mike Milne says the legal challenges to the new rules will include a ' representative action,' or subsequent injunction. B_ 02_ Aug- 01- 13_ FP_ 01. indd B2 7/ 31/ 13 9: 46: 28 PM ;