A question raised was if the purchase of Cannabis from a retail or provincially regulated Cannabis retailer can be claimed on a personal tax return as a medical expense.

The short answer is no.

The claim for cannabis is made under Paragraph 118.2(2)(u) of the Income Tax Act. To qualify, the patient must be authorized under the Federal Acts and the purchase must be made from either Health Canada or other certain specified production licenses. The provincially regulated Cannabis retailers who opened on Oct 17, 2018 do not hold the licenses under that Paragraph so no purchases made from those locations will qualify.

It is entirely possible that the Act may be changed. But presently, this is what the law says.

If you find that the retail source is cheaper than the medical source, you may wish to consider if it is to your benefit to purchase from the retail source. If that is your choice, you must evaluate the lost benefits from any insurance claims which you will be entitled to as well as the impact on your tax return from no longer being able to make a medical claim for the same item. This evaluation is based on your personal circumstance and is beyond the scope of this article. You are welcome to engage my services to assist you with this, by using the Contact Me tab on your screen.