Medical marijuana might soon be mailed right to your door by Shoppers Drug Mart, according to the retail drug store. The company, which was granted a medical marijuana producer licence earlier this year has said it has no interest in producing medical cannabis; only selling it.
Under current Health Canada regulations for medical cannabis, the only legal method is by mail order from licenced producers to patients. Potential customers in Ottawa say they’d purchase medical cannabis from the drug store.“It's a trusted brand, I mean, you get other prescriptions here, so I’d rather somewhere you've trusted for years.” said Jesse Schroeder.
The company was granted a medical marijuana producer licence after applying for it in 2016.According to its website, Shoppers Drug Mart plans to offer “a wide selection of medical cannabis products that meet strict quality and safety standards…delivered discreetly, right to their doorstep.”
“I think I would probably trust it here because I get my other prescriptions here. So I’d probably trust them over other people.” said Leah Bartlett.
Even those who don't use medical or recreational cannabis believe it's a good move; improving access for customers while providing quality control from a brand they trust.
“Yeah, safe as compared to the small private shops that may be opening up on any road really.” said Shirley Ruda.
It's unclear when all this will happen. In a statement provided by Loblaw today the company said it's still working through “a technical issue in the approvals process with Health Canada.” And until the situation is resolved, will not be able to sell medical cannabis directly to patients.
