Information Commissioner Takes Health Ministry to Court Over Weed Info

Article by Sun Media

The federal health ministry is refusing to name the 575 locations of medical marijuana producers in Canada.

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In court documents, the ministry claims that giving out postal codes or home cities “would create a serious possibility that individuals could be identified,” according to Blacklock’s Reporter.

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The non-disclosure has led to a federal lawsuit by Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard, who dismissed the ministry’s claim.

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“Canadians have a right to request information from the government,” Maynard told the Commons government operations committee. “The right of access and need for transparency have not been suspended during the pandemic.”

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In a federal court application, Maynard asked a judge to compel the ministry to disclose the hundreds of federally licensed distributors “authorized to produce or store large amounts of medical cannabis.”

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The same records were requested by a Globe & Mail crime reporter three years ago.

Read the full article here.