cannabisnews.com: Don't Block Options





Don't Block Options
Posted by CN Staff on August 25, 2002 at 19:37:10 PT
Editorial
Source: Victoria News
A furor has erupted in the pro medical marijuana community about federal Health Minister Anne McLellan’s comments to the Canadian Medical Association that she feels “uncomfortable” with the idea of the government supplying a smokable substance to patients, when the federal government is responsible for a huge anti-smoking lobby. 
But for local AIDS, cancer and other chronically ill individuals in the Greater Victoria area who take advantage of local compassion clubs that supply pot to the ill, what would change if Health Canada was to all of a sudden say it won’t be distributing pot until clinical trials are undertaken and completed on the crop from its one supplier, Prairie Plant Systems in Flin Flon, Man.? Outside of some major errors in judgment by so-called members — buying the pot allegedly for medical reasons then re-selling it under the nose of the police, actions that have seen the police step in — the activities and distribution chain set up by the Cannabis Buyers’ Club and the Vancouver Island Compassion Club have gone on with relatively little interruption from law enforcement agencies here. Such clubs were originally set up in defiance of federal laws relating to marijuana possession and distribution, yet they have become a mainstay of alternative health services in many communities across Canada and in the United States, where when residents in states in that country are asked if they support marijuana use as medicine, more often than not vote yes in state-wide votes even if their very own U.S. federal government does everything in its power to thwart their will as expressed through the ballot box. It is unclear exactly how many people in the Capital Region are on Health Canada’s exemption list, one that allows them to legally use marijuana to ease their pain and suffering. Nationally, slightly more than 800 people have made it onto that list. Compared to how many people in this country have terminal illnesses or chronic pain and would do almost anything to relieve their symptoms, the number is extremely small. Add in the fact that none of those people have received one thin joint under the government program and one wonders just how devoted the fed’s were in making it work, even before the seemingly confused McLellan took her new post earlier this summer. Former Health Minister Allan Rock’s Liberal party leadership aspirations may have played a part in his decision this week to one-up McLellan and say that when he was in charge, his department was ready to distribute pot while trials were going on. After hearing the feds have their say on the issue, local medical pot advocate Ted Smith gave out a few theories of his own about the whole government distribution idea. One is that doctors and politicians are causing people in pain further suffering by slowing down the process of what appears to be the inevitable legalization of marijuana, if not only for medical purposes but for all users. No doubt, many who use pot to ease their pain will wonder if and when they can sign up for trials. But even if they don’t get a chance, they will still likely have the option of taking comfort by using the services of compassion clubs. The question is whether those options will be narrowed, or even eliminated, by a federal health department that seems rather paranoid and a little fuzzy-headed on this issue. Source: Victoria News (CN BC)Published: August 23, 2002Copyright: 2002 Victoria NewsWebsite: http://www.vicnews.com/Contact: vicnews vinewsgroup.comRelated Articles & Web Sites:VICS http://www.thevics.com/Cannabis Buyers' Clubs of Canada http://www.cbc-canada.com/Weeding Out Feds’ Position on Medical Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13875.shtmlFlin Flon Mine Questions Pot-Growing Futurehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13844.shtmlHow To Stall On Medicinal Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13823.shtml 
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Comment #1 posted by john wayne on August 25, 2002 at 22:44:12 PT
a very dead horse getting flogged here
> she feels “uncomfortable” with the idea of the government supplying a smokable substance to patients, when the federal government is responsible for a huge anti-smoking lobby. Then don't smoke it.  Vaporize cannabis, or eat it. Either way avoids smoking it.Sheesh, how many times do we have to go over this tired ground?
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