Cannabis in Canada

While retail cannabis stores and provincial online stores are the primary source for cannabis, we recommend considering medical cannabis as an additional complimentary option to accessing cannabis in Canada.  We believe there is a market shift happening with the emergence of Legacy micro-craft growers maturing into the Medical market, which is just starting.

In recognition of this market shift, we are now reviewing Medical cannabis from micro-craft cultivators in our search for the best cannabis in Canada.  For the first time since legal recreational cannabis, we have found voluminous amount of affordable potent cannabis in the Medical Cannabis marketplace.   Join us in this journey of discovery.  Let’s go Medical!

The Medical Cannabis Market

There are 292,399 medical client registration in March 2021.  The number of individuals registered with Health Canada for personal and designated cultivation of cannabis for their own medical purposes was 39,525 in March 2021.  Data on the Medical cannabis market from the Canadian government is here.

We believe the time to go Medical is actually “Now.”  Micro-craft license issuance started with legal recreational cannabis, which was almost 3 years ago.  The first wave of products from these micro-craft licenses are just hitting the medical market “Now.”  It is time to go Medical.

5 Reasons to consider Medical cannabis

  1. Lower cost for medical cannabis.
  2. Broaden strains availability from new micro-craft medical LPs with strains not available in the recreational market.
  3. Bypass the Provincial gateways.
  4. There maybe tax benefits where applicable.
  5. Stop killing the environment by buying 3.5 grams recreational weed.

3 Types of Medical Cannabis Subscriptions

  1. Direct subscription to a specific LPs’ medical offering like a GreenTec, or AuroraMedical.
  2. Subscription to a Medical Dispensary with multiple medical LPs products like a Shoppers Drug Mart, or CannMart.
  3. Subscription to a Collective Medical Dispensary like a Shelter Market.

We have subscriptions with all 3 options.  We use AuroraMedical (Whistler Medical), CannMart and ShelterMarket.

The Medical Consultation Process

While any accredited Cannabis Clinics providing Free consultations can help with applying to any number of dispensaries available, we recommend CannMartMD based on our personal hassle free experience.  Getting a Free Consultation from an accredited Cannabis Clinic, is the first step to getting a Medical prescription for cannabis.  Shelter Market has a good post onWhat to expect when you make an appointment with an online Cannabis Clinic.

The Roadmap to Medical Cannabis

Five easy steps to Medical cannabis.

  1. Contact accredited Cannabis Clinic for Free Medical consultation.
  2. Provide choice of Medical Dispensaries to Cannabis Clinic for prescriptions to be forwarded on your behalf.
  3. Each Medical Dispensary applied will contact for onboarding and account details.
  4. While there are limits to prescribed maximum monthly purchase, there are no minimum monthly purchase requirements.  You don’t have to buy.
  5. Enjoy access to Medical cannabis.

Note:  The prescription will have to be renewed ever year.  Changing medical dispensary is best done at renewal time.  And, it’s all Free of charge.

Conclusion

Does getting Medical cannabis means you are sick?  While herbs are used to treat physical disorders, herbal health practice holistically and philosophically is more about prevention rather than curing a sickness.  The role of herbal supplements play a large role in herbal medicine.  For us, Cannabis is a herbal supplement.  The use of cannabis can help to promote a healthier mental state to keep us from getting sick.  The Cannabis Clinics’ health professionals understand the benefits of cannabis for healthy human beings and can help facilitate our access to Medical cannabis.  

The Medical Dispensaries

Medical dispensaries like Shoppers Drug Mart, CannMart and ShelterMarket can sell medical cannabis from multiple medical cannabis producers across Canada bypassing the Provincial gateways. We recommend CannMart and ShelterMarket as the dispensaries for accessing multiple quality medical LPs’ with unique products to expand our horizon.

Mendo Cannabis Medical is a Quebec based medical dispensary.   With two medical dispensaries closing in February 2022, Shelter Market and CannMart clients are migrating to Mendo Cannabis Medical.  Mendo Cannabis Medical has an impressive of list medical LPs like Truro, KRFT, Next Friday, Endo, The Legacy Market, to name a few.

Shoppers Drug Mart is the best positioned for success given its retail footprint.  Shoppers Drug Mart uninspired product offering, however, reflect the lack of focus on this product category.  There is a Shoppers Drug Mart Free Medical Consultation for a cannabis prescription from their HelloMD.  We do not recommend Shoppers Drug Mart because they lack diversity from recreationally available products.

GreenTec is GTEC Medical cannabis.  Fans of GTEC would be well advised to consider GreenTec for under $200 Ounce of Premium strains like Alien SinMint Cookies, or MacFlurry.  While GreenTec primarily sells only GTEC products, the affordability of some of the best cannabis in Canada makes GreenTec a compelling medical cannabis provider for the most discerning cannabis connoisseur.  We recommend GreenTec.

Canada oldest Medical Cannabis producer uses living soil growing technique.  WMMC has the best and most expensive cannabis oil in Canada.  Each cannabis strain specific oil delivers a unique “high” profile.  WMMC’s website and shelves are now just 50% full compared to two years ago have recently been amalgamated into AuroraMedical.  Unless you are a fan of expensive cannabis oil and Sour Jack, we do not recommend AuroraMedical.  

UPDATED (February 14th, 2022):  There are only a few products under WMMC Brand on the AuroraMedical website.  Selection is very limited.  Avoid.

Shelter Market offers medical cannabis consumers unique access to micro-craft growers with quality and pricing that is reflecting the ambiance of a Legacy marketplace.  Aggressive inventory management to reduce stock often result in attractive pricing for their medical community members.  Shortfall may be the limited number of micro-craft growers on the platform and empty shelves, if ShelterMarket becomes too successful.  ShelterMarket is “highly” recommended.

UDATED (February 14th, 2022):  Shelter Market closed the business first week of February 2022.

CannMart and CannMartMD are Hexo’s medical businesses acquired from their Namaste acquisition.  The Green Organic Dutchman, Sugarbud, Fleurish, GTEC, KushKraft and Apothecary Botanicals are some of the LPs on CannMart. The CannMart website is a dynamic (content change everyday) and exciting (there is a “Sale” everyday) website.  Shortfall maybe the limited number of medical producers and limited flower offerings currently on their platform.

UPDATED:  CannMart has closed its business February 11th, 2022.