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| Canada Legalizes Marijuana For Medicinal Purposes |
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Posted by FoM on July 30, 2001 at 13:29:14 PT By Jim Burns, CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer Source: CNSNews.com 
The Canadian government has made it legal for terminally ill patients and those with chronic conditions to use marijuana to relieve their symptoms. That makes America's neighbor to the north the first country to allow marijuana use for certain medical conditions.Effective today, under Canada's new rules, patients will be allowed to apply for licenses to grow marijuana for medicinal use or appoint someone to grow it for them. Insiders say it is the first system in the world where the national government will be directly involved in the production and supply of the drug for medicinal purposes. The government has awarded a $3.5 million dollar contract to Prairie Plant Systems to farm the marijuana in a vacated copper mine in Flin Flon, Manitoba. A Health Canada official said specially trained technicians would begin harvesting 185 kilograms of marijuana starting in August. The government's action is the result of a decision last year by the Ontario Court of Appeal, which said current drug laws regulating marijuana use by sick people were unconstitutional. The Canadian Medical Association opposes the new rule, saying there has not been enough scientific research for doctors to properly prescribe dosage. CMA officials also worried about people who might take marijuana along with other prescription drugs - combinations that may carry unknown risks. The Canadian Medical Association says medicinal marijuana usage should be regulated. "There remains a lack of comprehensive and credible scientific evidence on the benefits of medical marijuana, the known and unknown effects of its use when smoked, and the implications of an unregulated supply on the quality, consistency and contamination of the drug," CMA said in a statement in Ottawa. The CMA statement concluded, "We acknowledge the unique requirements of those individuals suffering from a terminal illness or chronic disease for which conventional therapies have not been effective. However, the CMA believes that it is premature for Health Canada to expand broadly the medicinal use of marijuana before there is adequate scientific support." Government officials said that commercial production and sale of marijuana and the non-medical use of it would remain illegal. Even so, Canada's decision has unwelcome implications for this country," conservative groups say. Robert Maginnis, the vice president for policy for the Family Research Council, said, "Giving someone marijuana for medicine is like giving them pond water when pure bottled water is available." In other words, he said there's plenty of good medicine out there to treat people without resorting to marijuana. "When you look behind all these issues, ultimately, this comes down, in my opinion, to the legalization of marijuana for recreational use," Maginnis said. "It's basically a stalking horse for outright legalization. I really do see a clear agenda to legitimize for recreational use a bad substance that is highly correlated with crime. It would have an extremely high medical cost for this country," he said. Pot Proponents Watching Canada Closely According to NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, the United States spends $1.2-billion annually incarcerating drug offenders and another $6-9 billion tracking them down and arresting them. Keith Stroup, executive director of NORML, said he is "excited" about the Canadian move and he predicted it could bode well for the end of "marijuana prohibition" in the United States. "Most of the progressive changes that have been occurring in marijuana policy have been in Europe and our government does a pretty good job of misrepresenting what happens over there," Stroup said. "Because of the Canadian action, our own government leaders will no longer be able to ignore the experience because we share a common border, culture and language. Because Canada will start providing marijuana to their seriously ill patients who need it as a medicine, I think it will put a fairly short time line on how much longer the United States can refuse to provide the same level of medical help to patients in this country." Stroup added that if the Canadian government goes one step further and decriminalizes the recreational use of marijuana over the next year or so, "the experience they have with that is going to be totally relevant to what the United States could be doing. And I am confident it would be favorable. I am extremely excited over what is happening in Canada." Newshawk: Nicholas Thimmesch II Related Articles & Web Sites: Canadian Links Canada Allows Terminally Ill to Smoke Marijuana Rules Broaden Use of Medical Marijuana in Canada CannabisNews Articles - Canada Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #7 posted by jorma nash on July 30, 2001 at 19:43:58 PT |
"There remains a lack of comprehensive and credible scientific evidence on the benefits of medical marijuana, the known and unknown effects of its use when smoked, and the implications of an unregulated supply on the quality, consistency and contamination of the drug," CMA said in a statement in Ottawa. i guess i need to tackle them one at a time. "There remains a lack of comprehensive and credible scientific evidence on the benefits of medical marijuana..." or is it that all scientific evidence on the benefits of medical marijuana "...the known and unknown effects of its use when smoked..." ...since thousands of years of use is merely "anecdotal evidence" because arrogant, "...and the implications of an unregulated supply on the quality, consistency and contamination of the drug" huh? prohibition means an unregulated supply, re-legalization solves these problems. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ synthetic drugs are simple enough for Western Science to understand; organizations like the CMA are determined to protect you from medicines and of course, Richard Cowan's rejoinder: of course, we'll know we are really "winning" when the "side" that just "scored" the big "win" i wish i could cite it better, but i read somewhere (probably here) more predictions: long-overdue loss of popular respect of these well-educated morons the notion that "compassion for the sick and dying sends a terrible message to children" losing support the upcoming lack of descent into chaos in Canada proves embarrassing to antis synergistic events around the world,
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Comment #6 posted by kaptinemo on July 30, 2001 at 19:11:45 PT:
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| Many years ago, My late Mother, God rest her soul, worked at a county Environmental Protection Agency. She told me once that her unit had to go out and get samples of bottled water (this was the very beginning of the "Perrier" craze in this country.) from various sellers. The inspectors went from store to store, randomly picking bottles off the shelves, buying them, and taking them back for analysis. Many samples came back with 'fecal bacteria' in them. Where this supposedly 'pure' water came from, I shudder to think. The water bottlers have cleaned up their act, since then, but only because they were forced to. The antis need the same 'truth-in-advertising' rules applied to them for what they peddle. That Mr. Maginnis would favor his good buddies in the pharmaceutical biz, who provide him with a cushy job dispensing verbal fecal bacteria, should come as no surprise. It was exactly his ideal of 'medicine' as he hawks which has led to the painful deaths of millions of cancer patients denied even the brief respite of pain. These loud public declarations of favoring 'real science' - while doing everything the antis could to sandbag cannabis research as long as possible behind the tissue paper thin excuse of concern for public health - will someday be the undoing of the antis. As more people look North - and travel there for relief of various ills that plague them - the truth will out... Then, antis, beware. In the meantime, Mr. Maginnis, peddle your snake oil - and your bottled water - elsewhere. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #5 posted by Lehder on July 30, 2001 at 16:47:57 PT |
| "It's basically a stalking horse for outright legalization." No, it's basically legal medical medical marijuana. It's also a stalking horse for outright legalization. The war crimes trials will come next. I want to see somebody with just as big a mouth as John Walsh hosting America's Most Wanted and hunting down U.S. drug warriors on the run, hiding out all over the world as desperate, crazy and stupid people who will be captured quickly and punished. They know how to hunt but not how to run. You can identify these wing-tipped bozos from their shoes. I just remembered - a true story: I was at a busy discount store, it was crowded and people were jostling each other for position in the lines, switching from line to line. A very officious woman started telling me to go here, no there, over here, there, here, this one's shorter, that one's faster, she was starting to piss me off.... Finally I thought a second, I looked at her - "You don't happen to be a police officer, do you, M'am?" She was rather taken aback - "Why, yes, I am. How could you tell?" "From your attitude, lady." [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #4 posted by lookinside on July 30, 2001 at 16:46:31 PT:
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| if anyone knows how to get an email to this twit, please forward this or post his address here.. mr. mcginnis, marijuana has proven to be superior in many ways to any since she started using cannabis, she has been able to sir, any attempt by you, or your ilk to deny my wife the your stand and statements are completely asinine...if sincerely, [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by The Offspring on July 30, 2001 at 14:52:01 PT |
| The current regulations will not meet the courts ruling. I think Terry Parker is going back to court soon to challenge the new regulations. Also, the Supreme Court of Canada will be hearing a couple of constitutional challenges in favor of Marijuana. The future looks good for Canada. Thank God I live here. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by TroutMask on July 30, 2001 at 14:01:21 PT |
| Does anyone know what happens now? Obviously, the lawmakers were forced to do this to meet the requirements set by the courts. Also obviously, the courts must now determine if this action is enough to meet the requirements. Does anyone know what the schedule for this review might be? Days, weeks, months??? I will ROTFLMAO if the courts say that the provisions do not go far enough and immediately strike down all marijuana laws. Then I will buy a plane ticket to Vancouver for a weekend of celebration. -TM [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by poisoned_4_four_year on July 30, 2001 at 13:50:30 PT |
| "Robert Maginnis, the vice president for policy for the Family Research Council, said, "Giving someone marijuana for medicine is like giving them pond water when pure bottled water is available." In other words, he said there's plenty of good medicine out there to treat people without resorting to marijuana." How would Mr. McGinnis know that pot is the P.S on the subject of families: I do not think real I may need a censor here - there are some things [ Post Comment ] |
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