Former advisor to the federal government, Ivan Ross Vrana outlines how he sees medical cannabis market evolving
Recreational marijuana legalisation is earmarked for next July, but those hoping to smoke a joint legally on Canada Day 2018 may be in for a disappointment.
That’s the view of Ivan Ross Vrana, currently the vice-president, Public Affairs H+K Strategies, and previously director of policy at Healthy Environments & Consumer Safety with Health Canada.
Part of that role was overseeing medical cannabis, which meant developing policy to be approved by the federal government. That experience saw him invited to speak at a special luncheon last week at The National Club in Toronto; the theme: High Hopes.
“I can say that Canada Day is not going to be Cannabis Day,” he says. “I expect legislation in the second or third week of July, depending on how the provinces have their distribution set up and how many stores they have in place. The industry is maturing and will continue along that path.”
Cannabis has been available for medicinal purposes in Canada since 2001. Despite that, insurers have been reluctant to include the drug as part of health benefits, citing the lack of a drug identification number (DIN). There are exceptions, however, and Vrana believes cannabis in health plans will become more commonplace in the years to come.
“To get a drug identification number, it has to be a pharmaceutical, so it’s a chemical product and you do all the standard testing you need to with clinical trials,” he says. “Cannabis is different because it is a plant, so it’s hard to do those same clinical trials to match a regime.”
This is changing, and with a DIN proving elusive for the drug, Vran believes another solution will be found to allow insurers to cover cannabis in good faith.
“You can do studies, you can build medical evidence, which is what a lot of companies, universities and research institutes are doing,” he says. “What I see happening in the future is that cannabis will have a natural health product number instead.”
Next July, Canada becomes the first Western nation to fully legalize cannabis, which is sure to have implications for the already established medicinal market. Currently, those with authorization from a doctor receive the drug through courier mail. But with government-run storefronts on the way, does that mean patients will elect to go the same route as recreational users? Not in Vrana’s opinion, as he explains.
“It is one thing to consume the product recreationally, but the strains will be different, the THC counts will be different, siding more towards CBD (cannabinoids). I see it still being a very lively industry.”
Related stories:
More evidence needed for cannabis’ merits as a medicine: Canadian Cancer Society
Insurers more open to cannabis coverage, says advocacy group
That’s the view of Ivan Ross Vrana, currently the vice-president, Public Affairs H+K Strategies, and previously director of policy at Healthy Environments & Consumer Safety with Health Canada.
Part of that role was overseeing medical cannabis, which meant developing policy to be approved by the federal government. That experience saw him invited to speak at a special luncheon last week at The National Club in Toronto; the theme: High Hopes.
“I can say that Canada Day is not going to be Cannabis Day,” he says. “I expect legislation in the second or third week of July, depending on how the provinces have their distribution set up and how many stores they have in place. The industry is maturing and will continue along that path.”
Cannabis has been available for medicinal purposes in Canada since 2001. Despite that, insurers have been reluctant to include the drug as part of health benefits, citing the lack of a drug identification number (DIN). There are exceptions, however, and Vrana believes cannabis in health plans will become more commonplace in the years to come.
“To get a drug identification number, it has to be a pharmaceutical, so it’s a chemical product and you do all the standard testing you need to with clinical trials,” he says. “Cannabis is different because it is a plant, so it’s hard to do those same clinical trials to match a regime.”
This is changing, and with a DIN proving elusive for the drug, Vran believes another solution will be found to allow insurers to cover cannabis in good faith.
“You can do studies, you can build medical evidence, which is what a lot of companies, universities and research institutes are doing,” he says. “What I see happening in the future is that cannabis will have a natural health product number instead.”
Next July, Canada becomes the first Western nation to fully legalize cannabis, which is sure to have implications for the already established medicinal market. Currently, those with authorization from a doctor receive the drug through courier mail. But with government-run storefronts on the way, does that mean patients will elect to go the same route as recreational users? Not in Vrana’s opinion, as he explains.
“It is one thing to consume the product recreationally, but the strains will be different, the THC counts will be different, siding more towards CBD (cannabinoids). I see it still being a very lively industry.”
Related stories:
More evidence needed for cannabis’ merits as a medicine: Canadian Cancer Society
Insurers more open to cannabis coverage, says advocacy group
