cannabisnews.com: Rules Broaden Use of Medical Marijuana in Canada





Rules Broaden Use of Medical Marijuana in Canada
Posted by FoM on July 30, 2001 at 08:32:40 PT
By Tom Cohen, Associated Press
Source: Modesto Bee
Under regulations that take effect Monday, Canadians suffering from terminal illnesses and chronic conditions such as arthritis can legally grow and smoke marijuana or can designate someone else to grow it for them. The new rules are part of the first system in the world that includes a government-approved and paid-for supply of marijuana, now being grown in a former mine in northern Manitoba. The rules will expand the number of people beyond the 292 in the country currently exempted from federal drug laws that make it a criminal offense to grow and use marijuana.
While some in Canada complain that the new regulations create bureaucratic hurdles and put doctors in the unsettling role of prescribing something they know little about, the Canadian system looks wonderful to U.S. medical marijuana advocates battling a zero-tolerance attitude."We're kind of envious of Canadians having the luxury of complaining about the minutiae of the program," said Chuck Thomas of the Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project. "It seems like a reasonable system."Eight U.S. states have taken some kind of step toward permitting the medicinal use of marijuana: California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada and Colorado. The U.S. Supreme Court, however, ruled earlier this year that there is no exception in federal law for people to use marijuana, so even people with state medical-exemptions could face arrest if they do.North of the border in the country that is the biggest U.S. trade partner, attitudes are different. Justice Minister Anne McLellan said the issue of decriminalizing marijuana should be studied, and the Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to consider a challenge against the constitutionality of criminal marijuana laws.The new health regulations were drawn up after a court ruling last year gave the government until July 31 to create a way for people requiring marijuana for medicinal purposes to obtain it legally.The new rules permit drug possession for the terminally ill with a prognosis of death within one year; those with symptoms associated with specific serious medical conditions; and those with other medical conditions who have statements from two doctors saying conventional treatments have not worked. Eligible patients include those with severe arthritis, cancer, HIV/AIDS and multiple sclerosis.More than 500 new applications are pending, and more are expected, according to the federal health ministry.The Canadian Medical Association, which represents tens of thousands of doctors, opposes the new regulations because they make physicians responsible for prescribing a substance that lacks significant clinical research on its effects. Without the cooperation of doctors, patients cannot get medical marijuana exemptions.Under the regulations, people can grow and possess marijuana for medical needs, or name someone to grow it for them, including the government.In Flin Flon, Manitoba, a mining town hundreds of miles north of the U.S. border, Prairie Plant Systems is growing marijuana in a former copper mine under a government contract worth more than $3.5 million.It expects the first harvest this fall of marijuana that will be supplied by the government to eligible patients and used for research on therapeutic effects. Company head Brent Zettl uses the same techniques that were used to grow berries and roses in the tapped-out mine beneath Trout Lake.In town, a novelty store has sold 6,000 T-shirts bearing a new slogan for Flin Flon - Marijuana Growing Capital of Canada. Complete Title: New Rules Broaden Use of Medical Marijuana in Canada Source: Modesto Bee, The (CA)Author: Tom Cohen, Associated PressPublished: July 30, 2001Copyright: 2001 The Modesto BeeContact: letters modbee.comWebsite: http://www.modbee.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Prairie Plant Systemshttp://www.prairieplant.com/ Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmAllan Rock To Tour Manitoba Marijuana Mine http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10453.shtmlA Drug Test To Watchhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10448.shtmlCannabisNews Articles - Canadahttp://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=canada 
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on July 30, 2001 at 18:04:55 PT
MPP's Chuck Thomas to Appear on CNN 
July 30, 2001Tomorrow (Tuesday) at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, MPP's Chuck Thomas will be debating Sue Rusche, head of the prohibitionist National Families in Action.The topic will be the Canadian medical marijuana program, the rules for which officially took effect today.Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/
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Comment #3 posted by mayan on July 30, 2001 at 14:47:46 PT
little by little...
This is Big! Not only terminal ilnesses but also "chronic conditions". This is a HUGE change in the regulations.The local(at least here in Illinois) & national media outlets are refusing to give adequate coverage to this & the current happenings in Europe. Thank God for the internet! The mainstream lame-brains no longer have a monopoly on news & information. The cracks in the dam are getting bigger!
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Comment #2 posted by TroutMask on July 30, 2001 at 09:05:09 PT
Slap Away
They better buy a box of slapping gloves! The US is being increasingly ignored as drug laws are softening in all enlightened countries around the world.I suggest the US first slap itself upside the head for starting and continuing this self-destructive policy.-TM
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Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on July 30, 2001 at 08:42:09 PT:
Rebellion North of the Border
This piece, which was largely lifted from the BBC or vice versa, should rightly inform Amerikan politicians that another one got away. They are going to have to decide how to slap the Great White North around sufficiently to make them see the error of their ways and return to the repressionist fold before it's too late.
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