The medical marijuana industry in Canada has been in a state of flux this past year with changes to the legislation, a renewed debate on legalization, and countless companies looking to capitalize on an expanding market.
The current Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR) took effect on April 1st, 2014 replacing the existing Marihuana Medical Access Regulations (MMAR), officially repealed March 31st.
The new legislation is designed to eliminate personal production in favour of large-scale regulated commercial operations. However, the newly introduced red tape has faced a lot of scrutiny.
The Application Process
The 7 step application process for new producers to become certified is stringent. After an initial preliminary screening of the application, parties are subject to enhanced screening to determine – among other things – that the site location meets public health, safety, and security standards.
Security measures and quality assurance credentials must also meet requirements laid out in the MMPR.
Step 3, Security Clearance
All key personnel must submit security clearance forms, process that can take several months to complete. In addition to extensive employment, address, and travel history, this step includes the submission of digital fingerprints to the RCMP for certification.
Fingerprints can be taken at your local police station or an RCMP accredited agency like the National Pardon Centre. Luckily, the fingerprinting process is actually fairly simple.
If you can make it into one of our walk-in centres the process takes no longer than 10-15 minutes and we will have your fingerprints submitted digitally to the RCMP before you even leave our office. The certified results of your criminal record check can then be sent directly to Health Canada.
What is Health Canada looking for?
The MMPR outlines the criteria required to apply for and be granted security clearance. Section 92 of the regulations list a number of factors taken into consideration to ensure minimal risk to public.
One such factor is whether the applicant has been found guilty as an adult of a drug offence or criminal offence outlined in the Narcotic Control Regulations in the past 10 years. Also taken into consideration is whether there are reasonable grounds to suspect the applicant is involved with illicit activities or a criminal organization.
If you’re considering investing the time and money into an application but are concerned about the Security Clearance we can help you find out exactly what’s on your record with an RCMP check. And if necessary we can also help you with a pardon / record suspension application. Once completed your criminal record will be sealed and it will no longer affect your application to become a licensed medical marijuana producer / distributor.