cannabisnews.com: Health Canada Authorizes Patients To Use MMJ! Health Canada Authorizes Patients To Use MMJ! Posted by FoM on June 11, 1999 at 05:39:14 PT Plan To Grow Pot For Medical Research! Source: NORML Ottawa, Ontario Health Minister Allan Rock announced yesterday that the government has authorized two patients to legally grow and possess marijuana for medical purposes. The agency also declared that they are developing a business plan for the creation of a government-approved farm to supply domestically grown marijuana for human patient trials. "This is a significant breakthrough in the drive to make marijuana available to seriously ill patients in Canada," NORML Foundation Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said. "This announcement surely puts pressure on U.S. government officials to adopt a more compassionate stance on this issue." The House of Commons approved a motion late last month urging Health Canada to "take steps" toward approving the limited use of marijuana. Yesterday the agency issued guidelines for a series of upcoming medical marijuana clinical trials as well as plans to grow and import the drug for medical purposes. "Moving forward on a research plan that includes establishing a quality Canadian supply of medicinal marijuana and a process to access it, is significant," Rock said. "The plan reflects compassion and will also help build the evidence base needed regarding the use of marijuana for medical purposes." Rock said that he intends to import medical marijuana from the United States' National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to use in the initial trials. Patients will smoke marijuana short-term in those studies, he said. Patients in later trials will use marijuana extracts and non-smoked forms of the drug, the agency guidelines state. Health Canada also announced that it had granted two patients permission to use marijuana for their own personal medical use. One of the patients, Jean Charles Pariseau, who uses marijuana to combat the effects of nausea and the AIDS wasting syndrome, said that he was "more than happy" with Health Canada's historic decision. "If you gave me a choice between a million dollars and [this] announcement, I would choose the announcement," he said. Rock said that 30 additional patients are awaiting permission from Health Canada to use marijuana. The agency said that they intend to review those requests within "15 working days." For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of The NORML Foundation (202) 483-8751. To download a copy of Health Canada's medical marijuana research plans, please visit: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hpb-dgps/therapeut/htmleng/cds.html Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #3 posted by FoM on June 11, 1999 at 10:16:59 PT We're Getting There Slowly! But We Are! Hello Rainbow & Old Lady #4:20!That's great! Use whatever you want to help get these laws changed! We are getting closer day by day! It is such an interesting time to be involved in such a worthy issue! A long over due issue, but the Internet sure is helping bring people together with so many of the same feelings and that's great!Peace, FoM! My Medical Marijuana Page [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by rainbow on June 11, 1999 at 09:34:05 PT: send it now I sent this article to my state legislators.My federal reps Wellstone and Grams are not able to comprehend what is going on around them.Wellstone says it is a state issue and grams just says no.CheersRainbow [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by oldlady#420 on June 11, 1999 at 08:13:24 PT A Step in the Right Direction...Now Only if the USA would see that. Maybe a copy of that needs to go to state legislature also...Shalom.oldlady420 Our Friends [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: