Support a Legal Cannabis Compassion Club Pilot in British Columbia

Give Communities a Legal Framework for Cannabis Harm Reduction

We are calling on the Government of British Columbia to create a legal, regulated framework for community-based Cannabis Compassion Clubs that can provide low-barrier access to cannabis, harm-reduction education, support, and healthcare referrals.

For years, communities have been experimenting with ways to reduce the harms associated with the toxic illicit drug supply.

One approach that deserves serious consideration is cannabis substitution and harm reduction.

The Cannabis Substitution Project (CSP) has been providing free cannabis products, including edibles and cannabis flower, to people in the community as part of a grassroots harm-reduction approach.

The purpose is not to encourage drug use.

The purpose is to provide people with an alternative that they may choose to use instead of more toxic substances and to create an opportunity to connect them with education, support, healthcare, housing resources, and other services.

But grassroots programs need a legal pathway.

We believe British Columbia should develop a compassion-club pilot framework that allows qualified community organizations to operate brick-and-mortar cannabis-care and harm-reduction centres under clearly defined rules.

These centres could provide:

Low-barrier access to cannabis for eligible participants.
Cannabis education and safer-use information.
Harm-reduction services and referrals.
Connections to physicians, nurses, pharmacists, counsellors and other healthcare providers.
Support navigating the medical-cannabis system.
Education about dosing, routes of administration, potential risks and responsible use.
Training for Cannabis Care Professionals or Cannabis Dispensers.
Referrals to addiction, mental-health, housing and social services.
Data collection and independent evaluation.
Community-based support for people who are currently being failed by traditional systems.
Creating a Bridge Between Patients and Healthcare

There is an important gap between the doctor and the patient.

A physician may not have the time or specialized cannabis knowledge to provide extensive education about cannabis products, safer use, routes of administration, or harm reduction.

Patients are often left trying to navigate this information themselves.

A trained Cannabis Care Professional could help fill that educational gap without replacing regulated healthcare professionals.

The role would be to educate, support, identify concerns, provide referrals, and help people have better-informed conversations with their healthcare providers.

A Pilot — Not a Free-for-All

We are not asking government to abandon regulation.

We are asking government to develop a responsible framework and study the model.

A pilot could establish:

Training standards

Who can work as a Cannabis Care Professional or Cannabis Dispenser?

Eligibility criteria

Who can participate and what safeguards should be in place?

Product standards

What cannabis products can be provided and under what conditions?

Record keeping

How can programs responsibly track participation, products, outcomes and referrals while protecting privacy?

Healthcare pathways

How can community cannabis programs connect participants with regulated healthcare professionals?

Harm-reduction protocols

What safeguards should exist for people who use cannabis alongside other substances?

Independent research

What outcomes should researchers measure?

Most importantly, the government could evaluate whether this model actually helps people reduce their reliance on the toxic illicit drug supply and connect with healthcare and community supports.

British Columbia Has an Opportunity to Lead

Community compassion-club models have existed in Canada, including the longstanding Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club, demonstrating that there is community interest in collective, community-based approaches to cannabis access.

The next step should be bringing this conversation into a modern, evidence-informed and accountable framework.

We should not have to choose between an unregulated underground model and a conventional retail model that may not meet the needs of people experiencing significant barriers.

There is room for something different.

A model built around:

Compassion.
Education.
Harm Reduction.
Healthcare Connections.
Lived Experience.
Research.
Accountability.

We are asking the Government of British Columbia to:

Develop a legal framework for Cannabis Compassion Clubs operating as harm-reduction and education organizations.
Establish a provincial pilot project allowing qualified organizations to operate brick-and-mortar cannabis-care centres under defined rules and safeguards.
Develop training standards for Cannabis Care Professionals/Cannabis Dispensers.
Recognize cannabis education and harm reduction as legitimate community-health services.
Create pathways connecting Cannabis Compassion Clubs with regulated healthcare professionals and existing health and social services.
Support independent research into cannabis substitution and harm-reduction models.
Evaluate whether community-based cannabis access can reduce reliance on the toxic illicit drug supply and improve connections to healthcare and other supports.
We are not asking government to look the other way.

We are asking government to look at what is already happening, learn from it, and create a safer legal framework.

People are already using cannabis.

Communities are already providing cannabis-based harm reduction.

The need for education already exists.

The gap between patients and healthcare providers already exists.

Let’s build a framework around it.

Sign this petition if you believe British Columbia should give communities an opportunity to develop, operate, research and evaluate Cannabis Compassion Clubs as a regulated harm-reduction model.

Compassion. Education. Harm Reduction. Support.

Let’s build the bridge.