cannabisnews.com: Pot Advocates Go To Court Pot Advocates Go To Court Posted by CN Staff on September 19, 2002 at 15:05:45 PT By James McCarten -- The Canadian Press Source: Canadian Press A motley band of seriously ill people crowded into court Thursday to do battle with Ottawa over a scheme to permit the use of medical marijuana they say violates their constitutional rights. The group, with conditions ranging from AIDS and hepatitis C to epilepsy and multiple sclerosis, wants to strike down federal rules governing medicinal pot, as well as the law that makes possession a criminal offence. "This is about the right to make fundamental personal decisions," Toronto lawyer and longtime cannabis crusader Alan Young told Superior Court Justice Sidney Lederman. "The right to make personal decisions has been called fundamentally deserving of the highest protection." Canada's Medical Marijuana Access Regulations, or MMARs, were supposed to honour previous court decisions by allowing those with serious illnesses to choose marijuana as a means to treat their symptoms. Instead, they're laden with obstacles and red tape that prevents more deserving people from exemption than it permits, Young said. The regulations demand medical declarations that few doctors are willing to provide given the legal consequences, he argued. And they make it impossible for a doctor to recommend a dosage, since the drug remains unregulated in Canada. Even those who do win a legal exemption -- more than 300 people in Canada are currently permitted by Ottawa to smoke pot for medical reasons -- are forced to break the law, resorting to black-market weed because the government is dragging its heels on efforts to cultivate a pure supply for clinical trial. "They're exposed to the criminal sub-culture; they're exposed to rip-offs," Young said of his clients. "They're exposed to an unknown substance called marijuana, which can contain contaminants and adulterants." There are seven marijuana consumers included in Young's group of applicants, along with a caregiver, the Toronto Compassion Centre. Three other applicants are also participating in the hearings. If they can't get the regulations thrown out, the group is willing to settle for access to the federal government's stash: pot grown in a Manitoba mineshaft under a $5.7-million contract for clinical trials. Federal Health Minister Anne McLellan has so far refused to allow the marijuana to be distributed because she says it simply isn't pure enough. The whiff of weed was unmistakable during a mid-morning break in the proceedings, as several of the applicants took advantage of the 15-minute recess to light up a joint on the courthouse steps. "It's very difficult for us to get permits, since doctors won't sign the necessary forms," said Marco Renda, a 42-year-old Ontario man who uses pot to combat the symptoms of hepatitis C. "The government should honour what the court has decided and make it easier for medical patients to receive medical marijuana." Renda said he doesn't worry about the quality of his marijuana because he grows his own. Those who are forced to buy from a dealer aren't so lucky, applicant Alison Murden complained. "It's nothing but sticks and stems and seeds one day, and it's a whole bag of bud the next," said Murden, who suffers from a host of medical ailments, including multiple sclerosis. "This is absolutely outrageous, what they're doing to these Canadian people. These are sick and dying people." For those suffering from serious illnesses, marijuana is invaluable as an anti-inflammatory and a mild painkiller, as well as battling nausea and stimulating appetite, said Young. "AIDS patients and cancer patients who basically can't eat because of their medication can smoke a joint, and then they are able to eat," he said. "I think marijuana is primarily responsible for keeping most AIDS patients from wasting, which is the only reason they die these days, because the anti-viral medications keep them alive and kicking." Young, who noted in his arguments that former health minister Allan Rock was poised to release Ottawa's marijuana to those exempted from the law, said he thinks Ottawa is under pressure from U.S. authorities not to proceed with its plan. Source: Canadian PressAuthor: James McCarten -- The Canadian PressPublished: Thursday, September 19, 2002 Copyright: 2002 The Canadian PressRelated Articles:Ottawa Back-Pedalling on Pot, Critics Believe http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14163.shtmlRock Planned To Release Pot, Letter Sayshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14157.shtmlOttawa Making Mess of Medical Marijuana Issuehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13990.shtmlHow To Stall On Medicinal Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13823.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #11 posted by mayan on September 20, 2002 at 16:06:43 PT Thanks... for the link GCW!!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by The GCW on September 19, 2002 at 19:28:38 PT Bush knew War Fever in Washington, DC by Pete Brady (19 Sept, 2002) 9-11 questions increase as sabers rattlehttp://www.hempbc.com/articles/2621.htmlHAS THERE BEEN A WORST PUPPET IN OFFICE?The bad evil. It effects cannabis, peace, Canada, etc. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by FoM on September 19, 2002 at 19:09:06 PT Audio from the CBC http://www.cbc.ca/clips/ram-audio/stoffel_w6020919.ram [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Had Enough on September 19, 2002 at 18:44:34 PT myan You are right on target. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by mayan on September 19, 2002 at 17:45:15 PT another unrelated... Sorry, but this is a good one...Musings On Courage & The Forces For Truth: http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0209/S00116.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by mayan on September 19, 2002 at 17:26:21 PT U.S. Pressure... Young, who noted in his arguments that former health minister Allan Rock was poised to release Ottawa's marijuana to those exempted from the law, said he thinks Ottawa is under pressure from U.S. authorities not to proceed with its plan.That's exactly what it is!!! I believe the reason the U.S. charged it's pilots who bombed the Canadian soldiers with manslaughter was to appease the Canadian Government. The U.S. Government desperately needs Canada's backing for the war against Iraq & also doesn't want them to legalize medicinal or recreational marijuana. Canada is in a position to change the world! C'mon Canada, the ball is in your court!unrelated -Administration won't release 9-11 data: http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20020918-035035-1042rWhite House Not Cooperating With 9-11 Probe: http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/09.20B.shelby.911.htmPanel finds evidence of 9/11 warnings: http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20020918-023813-6060rProbe: U.S. Knew of Jet Terror Plots: http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/09.20A.us.knew.htm911 Inquiry Reveals WTC Airplane Threat In 1998: http://rense.com/general29/air.htmEvidence of cutter charges in Building 7? http://whatreallyhappened.com/wtc7collapse.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Sam Adams on September 19, 2002 at 17:09:28 PT Nice work Dr. Russo! I also know MS patients and from own my limited (non-clinical!) experience, I'm convinced that it is the ailment best helped by cannabis. The reform movement is lucky to have Dr. Russo on our side! If the judges are at all reasonable we will win! It seems that the judiciary in Canada isn't tainted like ours, hopefully these guys will decide the case on the merits, not pressure from America's fundamentalist wackos. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on September 19, 2002 at 15:28:41 PT Dr. Russo You're the best! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Ethan Russo MD on September 19, 2002 at 15:25:11 PT: Breaking Silence I have tried to be quiet about this, but I can't any longer. I have been involved with the plaintiffs in this case, and submitted an affidavit that was accepted without challenge. It basically said that cannabis is more than just THC, that the Prairie Plant Systems cannabis is certainly of reasonable quality for these deserving patients, etc. This team of attorneys is very impressive, and I am hoping that the court does the right things: acknowledge that the cannabis laws violate the Canadian Charter of Rights, strike them down, and give the patients their medicine. Alison Myrden and I have talked and written extensively. She is a real sweetheart, but no one should underestimate her as a passionate and compelling advocate for change. Without this medicine, her life is a living hell. With it, she can cope and manage. What other argument matters? Can a reasonable person claim differently? [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on September 19, 2002 at 15:24:47 PT I Love His Tie! http://mirror.media.canada.com/cp/20020919/87b31b3a-0f34-412f-896a-ee1a0da36e55.jpg [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on September 19, 2002 at 15:22:10 PT light bulb has gone off! "If they can't get the regulations thrown out, the group is willing to settle for access to the federal government's stash: pot grown in a Manitoba mineshaft under a $5.7-million contract for clinical trials."Now I finally get it! Anne Mcllelan and the Canadian feds stopped the medical distribution because they sampled some of the herb, and decided to hoard it for themselves! That explains A LOT. Seriously, things are still a bit twisted around up there, but you have to admit that Canada is a great country. The only country where the government has its own private stash of $5.7 million worth of cannabis.Maybe we're going about this all wrong - we should use the arms race model! Tell the military brass that we could be seriously comprised if a national cannabis crisis occurs, and Canada has a major edge on us! It's a threat to national security! We've got to start stockpiling for the future! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment