In 2001, Canada introduced the Federal Marijuana Medical Access Regulations, becoming the first country in the world to create a medical cannabis system. The MMAR allowed medical cannabis users to gain access to medical cannabis (in dried form only) through Health Canada, self-production, or a designated producer. This original legislation was significantly limited compared to the current legislation.

The system introduced in the MMAR was in place from 2001 until 2014 when it was replaced by the Marijuana for Medical Purpose Regulations (MMPR). The MMPR brought significant changes to the medical cannabis system. First, it established that the decision to use medical cannabis is solely between a patient and their health care practioner. Second, the new regulations allowed the process for getting medical cannabis paperwork to speed up. Third, the federal government created a Licensed Producer (LP) regulated program. This change required Canadians to access medical cannabis from an LP via mail.

The new Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) came into existence after the Allard v. Canada Supreme court case. The result of the case ruled that the previous MMPR was unconstitutional as it infringed on Canadians' right to reasonable access to medical cannabis by limiting their access exclusively to mail orders from licensed producers, prohibiting personal production and prohibiting certain means of consumption.

With the introduction of ACMPR, Canadians who have been prescribed medical cannabis are permitted to produce or designate a grower to produce a limited amount of medical cannabis.