After a six-year court battle, the Canadian Supreme Court came down on Thursday in favor of medical marijuana in all its forms, effectively legalizing edibles and extracts for patients.
The move could potentially open up new business opportunities, though whether companies will be able to produce and sell infused products is unclear.
Previously, patients could only smoke MMJ under the law and were prohibited from baking their own homemade THC-infused goods. The Supreme Court ruling changes all of that, with a ruling in favor of a British Columbia man who was arrested for baking roughly 200 cannabis cookies.
Two lower courts ruled that limiting MMJ patients to smoking only was a violation of their rights, but the Canadian government appealed the decisions, which led to the Supreme Court ruling.
“The evidence amply supports that… inhaling marijuana can present health risks and that it is less effective for some conditions than administration of cannabis derivatives,” the court ruled, according to the International Business Times.
The news brought swift condemnation from Canadian Health Minister Rona Ambrose, who told reporters she’s “outraged by the Supreme Court” because cannabis has not yet been proven safe and effective as medicine, according to CTV News.