Vancouver foundation’s cannabis distribution program gets Health Canada approval

published on September 1, 2022 in CBC News

Longtime overdose prevention advocate Sarah Blyth knows marijuana isn’t a cure-all for issues of addiction and overdose, but she says it can help some people.

“People use it for sleeping, they use it for pain, they use it for trauma … sometimes using it instead of opiates,” said Blyth, founder of the High Hopes Foundation and the Overdose Prevention Society safe injection site on East Hastings Street in Vancouver.

High Hopes started in 2017 as a harm-reduction program that distributed medical marijuana on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside as an alternative to street drugs. The program ended when marijuana was legalized in October 2018.

Now, the initiative is back up and running after Health Canada granted it a licence on Tuesday to distribute medical marijuana prescribed by doctors or other medical practitioners.

“It’s a long time coming and we’re really excited to offer a unique program to people,” Blyth said…