“There is clearly a beneficial role for medical marijuana, but that doesn’t need to be consumed beside an office worker or at a McDonald’s restaurant”, he said.
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On November 23, 2015 the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care announced regulations to amend the Electronic Cigarette Act and the Smoke Free Ontario Act to confirm “that the ban on using an e-cigarette in smoke-free places does not apply to a medical marihuana user who uses an e-cigarette for medical [purposes]”.
“We do want to accommodate medical needs that exist in Ontario and I’m going to be hopeful the government will get this right”.
However, Damerla clarified that business owners still have the final say over what’s allowed on their premises, and can ask for proof of a prescription.
There was some confusion over whether the exemption applied only to vaping, and not smoking, but Damerla make it clear that both are permitted with a doctor’s approval.
“Public places like parks or sidewalks are for sure allowed now in the regulations”, he said.
Patrick Brown, Ontario PC Leader, expressed concerns that the new provincial rules would contradict with respective municipal guidelines.
“They are consistent with each other”, she said.
Toronto Public Health, which has taken a hard stance on cigarette smoking, and has called for e-cigarette and hookah bans, refused to comment when reached by CityNews. For instance, a restaurant owner can still prohibit them from doing so, according to AM980 London News.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she’s concerned about people being exposed to second-hand marijuana smoke or vapour, although she wants to take a closer look at the regulations.
“I can appreciate how not everyone wants to be in an environment where there’s marijuana smoke hanging in the air – the haze that goes along with that – and I think the government did a good job balancing the interests to give establishments the ability to say, ‘not here'”.
Marijuana advocates praised the exemption as another step forward in removing the stigma associated with marijuana use, and recognizing it as a valid form of medicine.
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Zaid says the regulations don’t change much since medical marijuana users could already smoke “pretty much” anywhere before the e-cigarette law was passed in May.
