Poll: Majority of Ontario patients trust pharmacists with MMJ dispensing

TORONTO, Ontario — A new poll commissioned by the Ontario Pharmacists Association has found that patients in the province would trust their pharmacist to dispense medical marijuana. The poll, which comes as the OPA pushes for regulatory changes that would allow pharmacists to dispense medical cannabis, found that 70% of patients think pharmacists should be involved in doing so.

Another 56% of adult Ontarians said that they prefer medical marijuana be dispensed by a pharmacist over other delivery methods, and 75% said that patients should be able to receive their medical cannabis from a pharmacist so they can get advice and counseling, the organization said.

“I'm pleased to see Ontarians once again voice their trust in pharmacists to do more as trusted healthcare partners, this time by supporting pharmacists’ ability to dispense medicinal cannabis to those who require it,” OPA CEO Andrew Gall said. "Local pharmacists in neighborhoods across the province are highly trained and best positioned to provide face-to-face counseling to ensure the safe, appropriate and discreet access to medicinal cannabis.”

The past has seen a push for pharmacy to have a more active role in Canada’s medical marijuana industry, with Shoppers Drug Mart applying last October for a production license with dispensing as its end goal. In April, the Canadian Pharmacists association lamented the exclusion of pharmacists dispensing in introduced legislation that would legalize recreational marijuana while keeping a separate pathway for medical needs.