cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Rules Too Strict, Says Patient 





Marijuana Rules Too Strict, Says Patient 
Posted by FoM on July 29, 2001 at 06:41:35 PT
By Bruce Erskine, Staff Reporter
Source: Halifax Herald 
New regulations governing the legal use of marijuana for medicinal purposes are just more bureaucracy, says Mark Crossley of Noel, Hants County. "It's too restrictive," said the 40-year-old father of three in an interview on Saturday. "They want to know when I plant, when I harvest, when I smoke it," said Mr. Crossley, who has an inoperable brain tumour. "They want a journal on my life. I do well to remember to take all my other medications." 
Under the federal regulations effective Monday, severely ill patients can, with a doctor's approval, apply to Health Canada to grow and use the drug. The government will license third parties to grow the drug for individuals who can't grow it for themselves. The regulations also allow terminally ill people, as well as those with AIDS, multiple sclerosis, spinal-cord injuries, epilepsy and other serious conditions, to use marijuana if it eases their symptoms. The regulations follow the federal government's announcement in April that individuals suffering from serious forms of arthritis would be given the right to possess and smoke marijuana if they can prove that other drug treatments don't alleviate their pain. Mr. Crossley has been convicted of growing marijuana for his own use, but continued to use it to ease headaches and anxiety associated with his medical condition. Last year, he became one of 292 people granted exemptions on the basis of medical need from laws that make it a criminal offence to grow and use marijuana. "My one-year exemption was renewed in May," he said, adding that he hasn't decide whether to apply under the new regulations. Mr. Crossley said the government's moves to recognize that marijuana has positive medicinal effects are generally a good thing, but he said they come with too many strings attached, including restrictions on how much marijuana individuals can grow and possess. "It doesn't make it easier," he said, noting that he requires far more of the drug than government regulations allow. "I grow enough to last me a year," he said, adding that since he began using marijuana, he's gained weight, doesn't stutter and hasn't experienced night sweats. "I'm a lot better," he said. "I'll continue to do it the way I do it." The new regulations have been criticized by the Canadian Medical Association, which argues they ignore normal pre-market testing protocols. Doctors are also concerned that they will be flooded with bogus marijuana use applications. Mr. Crossley, who expressed a clear skepticism about the medical establishment, says the medicinal properties of marijuana are well documented. "They know more than they're letting on," he said, suggesting that the medical profession has a vested interest - "it's more about money" - in pushing pharmaceutical treatments over alternative therapies. "I'm dropping the amount of pharmaceutical medication I take," he said, adding that marijuana is far less a health risk than tobacco, which is legal. "Tobacco is more lethal than heroin or cocaine combined, yet they sell it to you," he said. "Marijuana doesn't kill." Mr. Crossley said too many people in his position fear the wrath of the law. "I just disregard everything they say, in one sense," he said. "Their rules and regulations don't really turn me on. It's my brain, my head, and I do what I do to stay alive." He said there have been many times in the past few years when he thought he'd never see his 40th birthday, but he celebrated it in May. "I'm feeling better and I haven't seen a neurologist since 1997," he said. "If I need someone to tickle my toes (for diagnostic purposes), I'll do it myself." Note: New regulations to allow medicinal use of drug.Source: Halifax Herald (CN NS)Author: Bruce Erskine, Staff ReporterPublished: Sunday, July 29, 2001 Copyright: 2001 The Halifax Herald LimitedContact: letters herald.ns.caWebsite: http://www.herald.ns.ca/Related Articles & Web Site:Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmCanadians To Get Licenses To Smoke Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10229.shtmlCanada Unveils Regulation for Use of Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10220.shtmlCannabisNews Articles - Canadahttp://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=canada 
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