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The Suffering Few Who Legally Possess Marijuana 
Posted by FoM on October 21, 2001 at 08:33:15 PT
By Tom Philp, The Independent 
Source: Independent Online
For nearly four hours last Friday I sat with seven or eight other people in the kitchen of a Cramahe Township home, immersed in the sweet smelling smoke of "home grown." Smack dab in the middle of what used to be known as tobacco country, these folks were firing up cigarettes of a different kind. This was marijuana … cannabis, reefer, pot, bud … and for most of the people in that small room, smoking a joint was not a criminal act. 
The marijuana being consumed at the house was also grown there. Twenty-four different strains of cannabis as a matter of fact, with exotic names like California Orange, Juicy Fruit, and Blueberry. The table was covered with labelled bags, each earmarked for a particular "customer." The customers are "exemptees," people approved by Health Canada to smoke, drink, or otherwise ingest marijuana for medical purposes. They are HIV/Aids victims, people suffering from cancer and painful, debilitating diseases, and those who have survived serious accident and injury to live their lives in agony. They have found that marijuana helps to relieve their suffering. Thanks to changes in federal legislation introduced earlier this year, these people can now get that relief legally. Section 56 of Canada's Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) was amended on July 31 to provide exemptions for approved individuals to possess marijuana for "a medical or scientific purpose." In basic terms, the law states a person can become an exemptee in one of three categories, if medical practitioners agree that all other means of relief have been exhausted, and the doctors also agree that the benefits of using marijuana as a treatment outweigh any risks. Applicants in the first category are terminally ill, with one physician confirming a prognosis of less than 12 months to live. In category three, applicants must have two medical practitioners attest that they suffer from symptoms of a serious medical condition that cannot be relieved through any known conventional treatment. Most exemptees come from the middle category, and suffer from some of society's more debilitating illnesses. AIDS/HIV infection. Multiple Sclerosis. Cancer. Spinal cord injury and disease. Severe forms of Arthritis. Epilepsy. Symptoms can range from seizures, and injuries associated with them, to constant nausea, severe pain, muscle spasms, and anorexia. Category two exemptees have reached the point where popping pills, or ingesting chemical cocktails designed to "kill" their disease, is not working, and the treatment has often become worse than the illness. Joanne Sauve has lived with cancer for 18 years. She has undergone conventional treatments and numerous surgeries, including the removal of tumors from her breasts and neck. She hemorrhages easily, and cannot take pills. Treatments have made her anorexic. Recently she was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a painful condition of the muscles, ligaments and tendons. Joanne finds smoking marijuana provides pain relief, and stimulates her appetite, without any side effects of nausea or bleeding. But the cost of using this alternative medicine, in both monetary and social terms, is very high. Exemptees are allowed to possess one month's supply of the drug at any given time. That means a person prescribed a daily dose of 3 grams can hold a maximum of 90 grams of marijuana. Alternately, they are allowed to grow up to seven plants for their own use. Depending on the strain of pot, the harvest yield, and the amount required to provide constant relief from symptoms, the minimum amounts just begin to address the problem, she said. Police continue to view possession of marijuana as a crime, many medical and hospital staff are skeptical, and social workers display open prejudice towards exemptees, she said. For a person suffering from conditions she did not ask to have, Joanne finds those attitudes stressful. "It's a lot of stress, and the more stress I have, the harder it is to get better," she said. "We want to fight our diseases and get better, not fight the government and get worse," Joanne said. Northumberland OPP Drug Squad officer Bill O'Shea is one of those government people who are skeptical. He is against legalizing marijuana for any purpose, but concedes people suffering from serious illnesses may believe pot provides relief. "I am convinced marijuana is a gateway drug for other illegal use," O'Shea said, "but hey, if you are suffering and tell me that blue Smarties ease your pain, who am I to say that blue Smarties don't work for you?" O'Shea is aware that Sauve has contracted with Lady Dyz Helping Hands to grow marijuana for her under Section 56 regulations. He is also aware that Sauve's Cramahe garden has been visited by members of the drug squad, and raided by non-exemptees trying to steal the plants. The legislation stipulates that marijuana grown for medical use must be guarded sufficiently to prevent theft or pilferage. Dianne Bruce, owner of Lady Dyz, has eight feet of wire fence attached to large cedar poles around the perimeter of her 10-metre-square garden. She has five dogs on her property, and over $5,000 worth of video cameras and floodlights to deter thieves. And still they come by night, sneaking through surrounding woods and fields to grab marijuana plants through the fence. Two weeks ago, thieves cut a hole in the wire large enough for a small man to crawl through. Dianne, her partner Jerry, and two volunteers whose mother and aunt is dying from AIDS in Peterborough, now take turns keeping a 24-hour vigil on the patch. "It makes me really angry that these inconsiderate idiots try to steal our medicine," Dianne said. "We pooled our money, we pooled our resources, and we pooled our plants to provide help for a lot of people who are hurting." "These thieves don't understand the damage they are doing to us," said Joanne. "We have to take back our power and control because we get pushed around a lot." While we discussed the cause in the kitchen last week, exemptees phoned Lady Dyz steadily. At last count, Sauve and other licensed people were using the Cramahe base to grow and supply marijuana for 56 exemptees. "Fifty-six for Section 56," beamed Dianne. One of that group is Robin Hoyer, living with AIDS in Burlington, Ontario. Sexually assaulted at the age of 17, Robin was diagnosed HIV-positive the next year. The condition changed to full-blown AIDS ten years later in 1996. Robin believes deeply in a more holistic approach to fighting his disease. He rarely smokes marijuana, and prefers to make tea with his allotment. Among the things he gets from the herb is steady relief from the bowel dysfunction that almost always occurs with AIDS. He uses pot to augment the daily "stay of execution" he gets from a twice-daily regimen of protein inhibitors. "I found while living in California that the ones who were surviving and living better with AIDS were smoking marijuana," Robin said. "It triggers something in the immune system." But the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) says there is no "concrete scientific evidence" to support the therapeutic benefits of using marijuana, and has cautioned physicians against signing documents for exemptees, or people hoping to get Section 56 approval. CMA head Dr. Peter Barrett said federal health minister Allan Rock has "put the cart before the horse" in giving marijuana medical status, putting the onus on physicians to decide who should, or should not be allowed to use the drug. That decision makes doctors "gatekeepers" and Canadian physicians would be advised not to support applications for exemption under Section 56, he said. That's little comfort for Don Erwin, a married man with three children, who lives on disability support in Cobourg. Erwin lived and worked with chronic back pain since herniating a disc in 1983. While doing concrete work five years ago, another disc "basically blew out," he said. "I have gone through surgery for the damage, but it's pretty much 24/7 pain, and it's getting worse," Don said. Don's family doctor has refused to support his application "on legal and ethical grounds" provided by the CMA, he said. That leaves him no alternative but to get grass illegally. "I refuse to be a guinea pig for some giant pharmaceutical company any more," Don said. "I hope to find a sympathetic doctor, but in the meantime the only relief I get is from pot." Drug companies may soon be involved in full-scale production of medical marijuana. The herb's active ingredient, tetrahydracannabinol (THC), is already available over the counter under the names CESAMET (used to counteract nausea in cancer victims), and MARINOL (an appetite inducer for HIV-AIDS patients). But the people gathered together last week have tried the pill forms of THC, stating a 5 mg dose made them too high to function, and was always followed by severe nausea and vomiting. Only by using the plant directly are any therapeutic benefits derived, they said. And legislators also recognize the need to find ways to supply marijuana legally on a larger scale, effectively cutting drug dealers out of the picture. In Flin Flon, Manitoba, the federal government has committed $5.8 million to a commercial marijuana farm located 300 metres below ground in an abandoned mine. After experiments and testing, the first crop is expected to be ready for distribution to exemptees in 2003. In the meantime, Dianne, Joanne and Robin make no apologies to critics of the Section 56 program. "My friends are sick and dying," Dianne said. "I can't turn my back on them."Complete Title: A Joint Affair: The Suffering Few Who Legally Possess Marijuana Newshawk: puff_tuffSource: Independent Online (CN)Author: Tom Philp, The Independent Published: October 10, 2001Copyright 1998--2001, Conolly Publishing Ltd.Contact: letters eastnorthumberland.comWebsite: http://www.eastnorthumberland.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmCanada Goes to Pot - We Should Follow http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10487.shtmlCanadian Decision May Spark New Thinkinghttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10469.shtmlCannabisNews Articles - Canadahttp://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=canada
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Comment #5 posted by ekim on October 21, 2001 at 19:34:46 PT:
Still Seizing Medical Records
Peter Webster 
Date: Sun Oct 21, 2001 1:53 pm
Subject: !!! 'Police' Are Still Seizing Medical Records 
Pubdate: Sun, 21 Oct 2001
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV)
Copyright: 2001 Las Vegas Review-Journal
Contact: letters l...
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/233
Author: Vin Suprynowicz, assistant editorial page editor
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1770/a02.html
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Note: The writer is the author of "Send in the Waco Killers." For more from
this author - http://www.mapinc.org/authors/vin+suprynowicz'POLICE' ARE STILL SEIZING MEDICAL RECORDSLast week, we examined the seizure of the records of more than 5,000 medical
marijuana patients as drug police raided the home and office of Dr. Mollie
Fry, a physician, in El Dorado County, Calif.But it appears the Fry raid may be the tip of the iceberg. In a firsthand
account of a similar raid on the office of Dr. William Eidelman in Santa
Monica on Oct. 10, a medical marijuana patient writes:"I arrived at Dr. Eidelman's office in Santa Monica at approximately 3 p.m.
The doctor was seeing another 'patient' so I waited in the lobby. A few
minutes later that supposed 'patient' came out into the lobby and stopped.
He smiled really big, looked down at the letter he had just received from
the doctor, and said to me, 'I'm sure glad this guy is around, good luck,'
and then he left," writes the witness, who is on probation and asks that his
name not be used."I then went into Dr. Eidelman's office and had a discussion with him. About
10 or 15 minutes later there was a knock at the front door of the office.
When the doctor answered I could hear from down the hall the man introduce
himself as a narcotics detective with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's
Department, and he said he had a warrant to search the premises and seize
some property. The doctor called for me to come out of the office and into
the lobby."The cops said they were there to seize all his medical records, and the
laptop computer the records were stored on, and to search for controlled
substances. Dr. Eidelman argued with them for a few minutes about the lack
of probable cause for the search and the illegality of seizing all his
confidential patient records."All of the officers appeared to be with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's
department. There were approximately a dozen officers, all fully armed,
outfitted, geared up, weapons showing/being carried, some wearing helmets
and goggles, etc. I did not see any DEA or feds."The man who appeared to be the lead detective was the same man who had
posed as a 'patient' and seen the doctor right before I did."An officer asked me for ID and I gave it to him. He then walked out into
the hall and handed it to another cop and told him to `run this guy, and try
and find something so we can take him in; I'm sure you'll find something.'"A few minutes later they sent me out into the hallway to be `interviewed'
by the cop who ran my ID. I was then face-to-face with the same guy who had
been posing as a patient when I arrived. His attitude, questions and
treatment of me was despicable. He asked why I was there and I told him I
was meeting with my doctor. He then tried to force me to give my medical
history and tell him what I had been discussing with the doctor."He kept asking what my medical conditions were and what treatment I was
seeking from the doctor. I told them it was none of their business. He then
told me I had better cooperate and stop lying to him `or else you'll be in a
lot more trouble.' He kept saying, `You're here to buy a pot note, aren't
you?' I told him I was not there to `buy a pot note.' That went back and
forth for a while."After more of their harassment I said I had to be somewhere and asked how
much longer I had to stay. The detective gave me back my belongings and
said, `If you really have a medical condition, I recommend you go see a real
doctor who will treat you with real medicine, and stop running around trying
to get "a fix." '."The detective gave me his card and then I left. The detective's info on his
business card is: Michael Wirz, Sheriff's Detective Narcotics Division, 655
East Third St., San Bernardino, CA 92415."They did not arrest Dr. Eidelman, but are investigating him for supposed
felonies."A preliminary hearing on the seizure of Dr. Eidelman's computer records has
been scheduled for San Bernardino County Superior Court."Basically they don't like the law and they don't believe in the legitimacy
of medical marijuana," Dr. Eidelman told me last Friday. "In spite of the
fact the law was passed by the people of the state of California they would
like to ignore the law and contravene it."I pointed out to Dr. Eidelman that the ideal test case would be some
white-haired general practitioner recommending marijuana for a life-long
patient who now has to deal with glaucoma, that police on the other hand
will doubtless try to characterize him as some kind of "marijuana mill,"
with marijuana recommendations constituting the bulk of his practice."Well, this is a major part of my practice these days, because the
white-haired old GP is scared to write the letters. The patients come to me
and say, `My doctor sent me to you because he says I need this but you're
the only one who's willing to write the recommendations,' so by the laws of
supply and demand I've become the specialist in medical marijuana in
Southern California.We were all taught in our high-school Civics classes that if you want to
change the law, all you have to do is get a majority of voters to agree with
you -- which is exactly what backers of California's humane Proposition 215
did. But these California prosecutors and so-called "police" now reveal they
don't believe in -- or honor -- that system at all.In the courtroom where Chief Magistrate Gregory Hollows set the Oct. 22
hearing in the case of Dr. Mollie Fry, wheelchair-bound Dee Blanc of
Placerville told The AP she had dropped to 81 lbs. before she began using
marijuana to gain weight.''I'm a chronic pain patient,'' she said.Kimberly Craft of Placerville said, ''We have a state law that protects us.
I'm afraid they're going to put us on a list and decide who's next."
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
---
MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk 
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Comment #4 posted by Dave in Florida on October 21, 2001 at 15:03:48 PT
A liitle off topic part 2
And once the hempseed products market becomes larger, it will become sustainable, and its very existence will be the strongest proof possible that hemp is commercially viable, necessary, and should be legally cultivated again. This large and growing market for hempseed products will
create the greatest pressure to deregulate industrial hemp in the U.S., galvanizing farmers, media, consumers, retailers, distributors, and manufacturers. But getting the industry there from where it is today will likely be the greatest challenge it faces, greater even than the DEA.In the Ruling, DEA has gone out of their way to clarify the issue, which is also the same position as HFA regarding products containing no THC in foods: "What Is the Legal Status of "Hemp'' Products That Contain No THC? Any
portion of the cannabis plant, or any product made therefrom, or any product that is marketed as a "hemp" product, that is both excluded from the definition of marijuana and contains no THC (nor any other controlled
substance) is not a controlled substance. Accordingly, such substances need not be exempted from control under this interim rule, since they are, by definition, non-controlled."Although hempseed producers already comply with the Rule, from their writings it is clear that DEA is acting under the impression that the affected industry is very small, and that it impacts few consumers. DEA is also asking for comments from the public.Therefore, HFA urges all interested parties to write the DEA and let them know what a bad idea it is to even further regulate one of the most strictly regulated industries in the US. Especially an industry which has absolutely zero drug and abuse potential, which is a significant source of omega-3 essential fatty acid and protein, and which is based on mankind's oldest and historically its most widely used food crop: hempseed.DEA is asking for comments from the public. You have until December 10 to tell them what you think of hempseed foods. Send your comments to:Deputy Assistant Administrator
Office of Diversion Control
Drug Enforcement Administration
Attn: DEA Federal Register Representative/CCD
Washington, D.C. 20537Here's a sample letter:Dear Sir or Madam:I am writing regarding Hempseed Foods. Hempseed has been used continually as a human food around the world for over 5,000 years, and is mankind's oldest food crop. It is one of the most nutritious foods, with a significant amount of omega-3 essential fatty acid, which many medical journals have recently reported helpful for a variety of diseases. Hempseed is higher in protein than meat, and is of very high quality. Hempseed tastes good, and can be used in almost any food.I use hempseed foods, and I request that you continue to allow this super-nutritious food to be sold, just as it is in Canada, Europe, and elsewhere throughout the world.Thank you.Sincerely,
Also send an email to us (or Forward this one to us) and we'll add it to our list of names on a Petition we will send to the DEA. Send an email to petition hempfood.com, and we'll take care of the rest.--END--"If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny." Thomas JeffersonHemp Food Association, Santa Rosa CA
Richard Rose, Founder and Director
Protecting the hempseed food industry since 1998
Hempseed is high in omega-3 and protein, and has been food for 5,000 years
info hempfood.com, www.hempfood.com
For more info on the HFA send an email to: 
The HFA is generously supported by HempNut, Inc., makers of fine hempseed foods since 1994
To buy hempseed foods go to: http://store.yahoo.com/hempnut
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Comment #3 posted by Dave in Florida on October 21, 2001 at 15:02:49 PT
A little off topic part 1
**Please Forward to Any and All Friends of Industrial Hemp** We finally have the chance for the government to hear what we have to say about Hemp! It's our first chance, don't let them make it our last.This is a very important News Alert from the Hemp Food Association . "If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they
take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny." Thomas Jefferson
Please note that this is the first time the DEA has asked for the public's comments regarding industrial hempseed and foods, and we have only until December 10 to send them. Please read on. Issues:Hempseed has been food for 5,000 years, around the world
Hempseed is super-nutritious, very high in omega-3 and protein DEA intends to ban all hempseed foods that contain THC (the drug found in marijuana, hemp's notorious cousin)
Why? Drug test defense lawyers erroneously claim hemp foods are to blame Hempseed food companies already comply with this Rule Why? It's just the right thing to do, and good customer service. DEA wants to hear from the public regarding hempseed foods. We need to flood them with letters by December 10 Hempseed food companies need your support more than ever. All are small and not yet profitable, so "vote with your dollars"HFA Position Regarding DEA's Interim RuleThere have been concerns expressed by hempseed companies and consumers about the recent Interim Rule by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). It is the position of the Hemp Food Association (HFA) that this Interim Rule is
merely a clarification of the basis under which the DEA, US Customs, and all responsible hempseed importers have been operating under for quite some time, namely, that hempseed products may not contain tetrahydrocannabinol(THC).An HFA survey of hempseed importers revealed that all were in compliance with the Interim Rule, and have no THC in their products.DEA has made it very clear that this is only a ban on THC in hempseed foods,not a ban on hempseed foods. So then what is the reason for this new interest by the DEA in hempseed products? Simply that over the past few years many hundreds of people failed a drug test and wrongly blamed hempseed
products, hoping to be excused. While one can understand such desperation in people when faced with jail or losing a career, nevertheless the drug testing industry became quite alarmed at what they termed the "drug test interference" loophole raised by these folks and their lawyers. So DEA
responded by banning THC in hempseed products, something many hempseed food companies have expected for years, and responded accordingly. (Please note that HFA is not an apologist for the drug testing industry, and believes the
practice is unconscionable and invasive, and results in reduced workplace productivity. But it does exist and we have to protect our customers.)Then why have responsible hempseed companies made "zero THC" products a priority? Simply because it makes for good customer service. No customer should have to risk jail or loss of a career just by consuming healthy hempseed foods, so removing all THC is important to responsible hempseed
product marketers.The hempseed products industry has the technology to provide "zero THC" hempseed and hempseed-based products. Improving processing standards to meet challenges in today's market is the only way to ensure the long-term viability and sustainability of the hempseed products industry. Responsible hempseed importers have met this challenge.Unreasonable fear about THC is holding back the hempseed industry's very ability to be sustainable and viable. For such a small market (hempseed food sales are well under $2 million annually in North America at retail), many companies are now in a fragile predicament, desperate for increased revenues in order to even achieve break-even and keep their doors open. In just the past 18 months several companies have suspended hemp product operations, and many more are on the verge of the same.This issue highlights the need for federal deregulation of drug-free industrial hemp. It is an issue of states' rights, and makes good business sense for farmers. Industrial hemp is not a drug and the government therefore does not have a compelling interest in regulating industrial hemp.An effective way to support the fledgling hemp industry is by "voting with your dollars." Encourage others to seek out and buy these highly nutritious hempseed products. Tell friends and family about them. Encourage their use.
This is the greatest power consumers and citizens have, to vote with their dollars as well as their ballots. Many believe that the greatest market value for hemp lies in the hempseed, and that the greater the demand is for
industrial hemp, the greater the pressure will be to re-permit domestic cultivation. The DEA has pointed to the small size of the market and industry as justification for its Interim Rule.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on October 21, 2001 at 09:50:34 PT
Check out the pictures from the article
Where could a person buy a clock like the one in the top picture? That is so cool!
http://www.eastnorthumberland.com/news/news2001/newsOctober2001/exempt10102001.html
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Comment #1 posted by Cannabis Dave on October 21, 2001 at 09:47:16 PT
Theft of medicine from gardens a problem here too.
In Oregon some patients have had their medical garden ripped-off too. Since we are only allowed to flower three plants out of the seven allowed, we don't never a huge amount to steal, but because its value some criminals will try to steal it anyway. The fact that marijuana grown for medicine it usually extremely high quality is another reason criminals want to steal it - you can't usually buy pot of that quality on the black market. The thefts have become problematic because they make our Oregon Medical Marijuana Act (OMMA) program look bad. The best way for people who grow it medically to avoid being ripped-off is COMPLETE secrecy, which can be very difficult to achieve. Once the genie is out of the bottle, even extreme security measures are sometimes not enough to deter the scum who ripp-off medicine.
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