A Nova Scotia man who buys medical marijuana from drug dealers says it should be tax deductible because the government-supplied drug is poor quality.
Tom McMullin, 45, has Health Canada’s approval to use marijuana to deal with chronic nerve pain in his back and legs. The Prospect man smokes five grams a day and says that’s costing him thousands of dollars a year out of his meagre income.
“When you’re going through the black market, you’re spending a lot of money … taking $1,200 to $1,300 out of your household income a month,” he said.
McMullin said he would rather not buy his medicine from illegal drug dealers, but said the Health Canada marijuana is weak.
The Canada Revenue Agency provides tax deductions for medical marijuana bought from Health Canada or a designated producer.
“If I had the receipts from Health Canada, I’d have no problem writing it off. But as you know, in the black market, you’re not going to get receipts,” he said.
With the help of a lawyer, McMullin has prepared affidavits showing how much he spends on marijuana.
Despite his supply coming from illegal channels, McMullin has filed a two-year claim for more than $30,000.
Claim has a chance: medical marijuana group
The vice-chairman of Maritimers Unite for Medical Marijuana said McMullin has a chance of winning his claim.
“There are people who have claimed buying it from the so-called black market and have had their income tax processed that way,” John Cook said in Halifax. “It seems to be a hit and miss, who can claim and who can’t.”
McMullin said if he had to, he would take the Canada Revenue Agency to court to prove his marijuana claim.
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/
