New medical marijuana rules worry licenced user

A medical marijuana user in Nova Scotia worries new federal rules will make it more difficult for her to treat her rheumatoid arthritis.

Health Canada will phase out small-scale growers, next year, and replace them with commercial farms certified by RCMP. The federal government says the switch will provide more oversight and better quality control.

But Sherri Reeve fears mass-produced marijuana will be less potent and more expensive.

Her licence is set to expire next March.

She said she worries the price could climb to as much as $100 a day.

I wont be able to afford it, she said. Theres just no way, and to try to invest what little money I have into the government sanctioned weedwould just be a waste of my money.

Reeve said conventional medicines come with painful side effects, so she depends on marijuana to treat her symptoms.

I cant express to you, to find a drug that finally works after suffering for so long, and then have someone say to you were going to take it away from you.

Medical marijuana licences have been controversial, and police say some people have abused the rules.

In Prospect Bay, N.S. neighbours complained about the smell and said they were worried for their safety because of a legal grow op nearby.

Reeve said shell now start looking for a new drug to treat her pain.

"There's lot of miraculous plants on the planet. Cannabis is just the most readily available."

There are currently 37,400 medical marijuana users in Canada.