cannabisnews.com: Canada Plans Pharmacy Marijuana Project Canada Plans Pharmacy Marijuana Project Posted by CN Staff on March 21, 2004 at 14:24:36 PT By The Associated Press Source: Associated Press Toronto -- Canada plans to make government-certified marijuana available in local pharmacies, a move that would make Canada the second country in the world after the Netherlands to allow the direct sale of medical marijuana. Officials are organizing a pilot project in British Columbia, modeled on a year-old program in the Netherlands. Currently, there are 78 medical users in Canada permitted to buy government marijuana, which is grown in Flin Flon, Manitoba. A 30-gram (about an ounce) bag of dried buds, sells for $113 each, and are sent by courier directly to patients or to their doctors. But the department is changing the regulations to allow participating pharmacies to stock marijuana for sale to approved patients without a doctor's prescription, similar to regulations governing so-called morning-after pills, emergency contraceptives that can be obtained directly from a pharmacist without the need for a doctor's signature. A notice of the change is expected to be made public this spring, allowing for drugstore distribution later in the year. "We're just at the preliminary stages right now," said Robin O'Brien, a consulting pharmacist who is organizing the pilot project for the government. "We're not quite sure how it's going to fit." The Canadian government has also suggested it may decriminalize pot, a move criticized by U.S. drug and border agencies which threatened more intrusive searches of cross-border travelers. The latest move is unlikely to be welcomed either. Some patients report that marijuana alleviates the pain and nausea associated with AIDS and other diseases. But marijuana's status as a medicinal drug is in limbo, said O'Brien, because it is not formally approved. "There's no pharmaceutical company that's going to come forward to take it through the regulatory process because they can't get a patent on it, so it's kind of a limbo drug." The pilot project is slated for British Columbia because the province's college of pharmacists issued a groundbreaking statement last fall supporting the distribution of medical marijuana in pharmacies, unlike most health care organizations which have opposed easier access. Source: Associated Press Published: March 21, 2004Copyright: 2004 The Associated Press Related Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmGov't Plans To Sell Marijuana at Pharmacieshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18527.shtmlSelling Pot at Pharmacies Considered http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18364.shtmlMedical Marijuana Sold in the Netherlandshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17201.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #13 posted by mayan on March 22, 2004 at 16:40:25 PT Kap'n... Yeah, if they use the Flin Flon bud it may not be such good news. Let's hope they improve the quality of supply! [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by FoM on March 22, 2004 at 12:45:53 PT Current Globe and Mail Poll Results Health Canada plans to make marijuana available in pharmacies. Do you approve? Yes -- 13986 votes -- (72 %) No -- 5426 votes -- (28 %) Total Votes: 19412 [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by E_Johnson on March 22, 2004 at 12:15:49 PT It's a strain not a plant They acquire intellectual property rights over strains of the plant genome that they create, not over the whole plant genome itself.Although if they drive the wild varieties out of existence then it's the same thing. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by FoM on March 22, 2004 at 10:15:22 PT CBC: Questions about Drug Store Pot Plan March 22, 2004 VANCOUVER - A B.C. medical marijuana advocate is questioning a Health Canada pilot project that will see medicinal pot distributed in pharmacies. Hillary Black is the founder and co-director of the B.C. Compassion Club – an organization that helps patients access medical marijuana. She says the project will give more access to people who need the drug.But she isn't sure drug stores are prepared to deal with all the other issues of prescribing a drug that's still illegal in Canada. "A pharmacist isn't going to be able to teach a little old woman how to roll a joint for the first time. Pharmacists aren't educated around how to teach people about dosing themselves with cannabis." INTERVIEW: The Early Edition's Rick Cluff speaks with Hillary Black. http://vancouver.cbc.ca/clips/Vancouver/ram-audio/bc_pot_040322.ramBut Black admits some people will prefer to access medical marijuana from a certified pharmacist instead of growing it themselves. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Share your thoughts http://vancouver.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=bc_pot20040322 [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by goneposthole on March 22, 2004 at 09:46:58 PT Monsanto did not create the plant only a specific sequence of amino acids. If they have only patented the specific amino acid sequence in the plant DNA, I would hope they have covered their genetic arses with applying the sequence to the mRna, tRna and the nucleus of a plant cell. Could a patent be obtained for a specific phase of cell division? In other words, patented meiosis, not just a patented method of genetically modifying an organism. Can nucleus activity be patented?Maybe I'm way off base.&A patented growing method for medical cannabis might be an answer. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by E_Johnson on March 22, 2004 at 09:23:50 PT goneposthole "How come Monsanto can patent corn, canola, wheat, soybeans etc?"They are doing something trickier than that.They copyright the information in the genes of the strains they create in the lab.It's information they created, so they can copyriight it.Like if they wrote a book, but instead they wrote a gene. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by goneposthole on March 22, 2004 at 07:10:30 PT Huh? "There's no pharmaceutical company that's going to come forward to take it through the regulatory process because they can't get a patent on it, so it's kind of a limbo drug."How come Monsanto can patent corn, canola, wheat, soybeans etc?Kraft should quit making cheese. Narragansett, Yeungling, Schlitz, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Coors, Budweiser all make beer. How can this be any different than cannabis?Limbo cheese and beer ended up in the food chain and in the hands of people who had some desire to make them into industries.Limbo cannabis is the same. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by kaptinemo on March 22, 2004 at 06:44:36 PT: Well, it's 'good news/bad news' time Good news that Canuck pharmacies will offer cannabis? With the compassion clubs being shut out of the proceedings, I have my doubts. With quality control determined by clueless prohibitionists rather than expert growers (heavy-metal laced, mold-infected junk with useless stems ground up with God knows what) this could be a Pyhrric victory.And I would favor this scheme only if the patient had the option of seeking cannabis elsewhere if the quality of the government product hasn't improved from it's presently wretched state. Hence the importance of including those clubs in the dissemination schema.Looks like Health Canada will once again engage in unnecessary barstool-spinning and monkey-motion designed to waste taxpayer dollars while appearing to 'do something'. All they have to do is ask the compassion clubs for all the free expert advice they could want...but that's too simple a solution. Occam's Razor must be pretty dull in Ottawa... [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by mayan on March 22, 2004 at 02:29:01 PT Good 4 Them! This is certainly good news for Canada's medicinal users! Ashcroft may soon order his boys to cover the U.S. in plastic sheeting and duct tape to keep out the Canadians and their dreaded devil weed.The way out is the way in...C-SPAN to cover CitizensWatch Press Conference in D.C. Monday! http://www.911citizenswatch.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=138&mode=thread&order=0&thold=09/11 Truth Contingent Marches at NYC Antiwar Demo: http://www.septembereleventh.org/newsarchive/2004-03-20-antiwar.phpFamilies Demand Staff Director of 9/11 Commission Resign: http://www.septembereleventh.org/newsarchive/2004-03-20-zelikow.phpQuestions compiled by 9/11 Family Steering Committee: http://www.911citizenswatch.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=140&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Virgil on March 21, 2004 at 19:03:54 PT Trivia I am trying to catch up on my reading at Medpot and the writings/ramblings of John Turmel. I am on 1118 and he is now on 1161. Paul Burnstein is the lawyer that wrote the Hitzig appeal that is sponsored by Marc Emery and in 1118 Medpot shows Medpot's value as a source for tracking the fight against CP in Canada. Burnstein says Wakeford became the first Canadian to qualify for exemtion under section 56 of the CDSA that preceded the MMAR with an Interim Guidance Document. This is wrong according to Turmel and he gives the honor to Jean Charles Pariseau with the following sentence.Pariseau, Jean Charles, became the first on the very same day that Wakeford, Jim, became the second.In 25 Burnstein presents a fact that Prarie Plant Systems that grew MMJ for the government in an old underground mine was told by Health Canada to grind up the entire plant including stalks and stems. Now why is it they we have to find this out now instead of having it reported from a professional reporter in the media. Zettle is/was President of PPS.PB: According to Mr. Zettl, Health Canada has also insisted that PPS grind the entire dried plant - i.e., stalk, leaf and "bud"*1 - into a single mixture which is then shipped to the medical marijuana users. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by E_Johnson on March 21, 2004 at 18:36:46 PT How will Bush respond? He should give up. The crow he's going to have to eat only gets bigger every day. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on March 21, 2004 at 17:55:35 PT Poll: Globe and Mail Medical Marijuana Poll Health Canada plans to make marijuana available in pharmacies. Do you approve?Current Results: Yes -- 389 votes -- (71 %) No -- 160 votes -- (29 %) Total Votes: 549 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/hubsv3/tgamHub?hub=Search&query=marijuana [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by MikeEEEEE on March 21, 2004 at 15:57:25 PT Rolling... This must have the anti's rolling in anger, and this is a big one.The drug war count.Drugged driving laws: -1Government-certified marijuana in pharmacies: +10 [ Post Comment ] Post Comment