The federal government decision to get out of the medical marijuana business is receiving an objection from the Canadian Medical Association.

The CMA says the government is ab-dicating its role as regulator, leaving doctors to deal with a substance that has little clinical evidence to back its use.

The government plans to stop producing and distributing medical marijuana in favour of opening the market to private companies.

The current program has allowed anyone with a government permit to grow it themselves.

But the Conservatives argue that with 26-thousand permits handed out over the past decade, the system has become unwieldy and resulted in unintended consequences.

One grassroots coalition is seeking support for a legal challenge of the changes, arguing all people should be able to access affordable pot for medical use and be able to legally produce it as well.