Medical marijuana users get OK from Ontario government to vaporize anywhere

The Liberal government quietly exempted them this week from a lawthat bans the use of e-cigarettes anywhere regular cigarettes areprohibited. It means medical marijuana users can vaporize inrestaurants, at work or on playgrounds.

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"Somebody who really needs it for medical reasons may need to beable to smoke it or vape it. On the other hand, we are verysensitive to people around them. It really is about balancing thoserights."

Jonathan Zaid, the founder of Canadians for Fair Access toMedical Marijuana, said the new regulations don't change much sincemedical marijuana users could already smoke "pretty much" anywherebefore the e-cigarette law was passed in May.

New regulations "nothing new"

But Zaid highly doubts the change in regulations will meanmedical marijuana users flooding playgrounds and restaurants tovaporize.

"Everyone that I know, including myself, who uses medicalcannabis is discreet about it. They just want to use it as theirmedicine to feel better, to live a better quality of life and theydon't want to be harassed about it, so that also means they're nottypically likely to do it in a very public space."

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath didn't sound especially shocked by theexemption either.