Can community pharmacies dispense cannabis or include a patient’s medical cannabis in their blister pack?

No. Under the federal Cannabis Act, the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations prohibit pharmacies (or any retail outlet) from dispensing cannabis for medical purposes. 

A pharmacist cannot alter or repackage cannabis, or be responsible to obtain, possess, or distribute cannabis on behalf of a patient. 

The holder of a federal license for sale for Cannabis for Medical Purposes must deliver directly to the patient, by mail and in the licensed processor’s original packaging, pursuant to an order from a health care practitioner. 

Cannabis for recreational or non-medical purposes can only be distributed or sold through the online Ontario Cannabis Store or through privately run retail stores that have received a license from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. 

Community pharmacists are not exempt from the methodologies of distribution of cannabis outlined in the legislation. For additional information, please contact Health Canada’s Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Branch (CLRB) at [email protected].