VANCOUVER — A marijuana activist has been distributing a legal kit for people who want to grow their own medical pot, which has helped potential plaintiffs flood the Federal Court with more than 200 lawsuits.
The court issued an injunction in March allowing a group of patients who were legally licensed to grow their own marijuana to continue to do so, despite the government’s ban on the practice.
That injunction was related to a court case filed by a group of patients challenging the new laws, which is expected to be heard next year.
Since then, 222 people have filed lawsuits demanding a similar exemption, including patients who were previously licensed to grow their own pot and some who claim they need marijuana for preventative medicine or something described as “self actualization.”
A Federal Court judge says any of the plaintiffs who are covered by the terms of the March injunction can benefit from the same exemption, while the rest of the cases have been stayed until the court’s decision next year.
Changes that took effect on April 1 restrict the growing of medical marijuana to licensed commercial producers.