cannabisnews.com: Medicinal Marijuana 





Medicinal Marijuana 
Posted by CN Staff on March 07, 2003 at 16:26:49 PT
By John McDonald, Staff Reporter
Source: Kelowna Capital News 
Westbank resident Richard Babcock has been stonewalled by the medical system in his efforts to use pot with his pills. A local man suffering from AIDS and Hepatitis C says he’s being stonewalled in his pursuit of medical marijuana, a drug he claims is helping keep him alive.“Without it, I can’t keep my other medications down,” says Richard Babcock, 43, of Westbank. “I just puke them up.” 
Sitting in the living room of his rented trailer, an agitated Babcock brandishes a letter from the Ministry of Human Resources explaining why it has denied him funding for the drug even though he has an exemption from the federal government that allows him to use it for medical purposes.The letter informs Babcock that purchasing a controlled substance is illegal regardless of his exemption, and that the ministry has no authority to either purchase medicine or give out money for their purchase.“All my other prescriptions are covered but not this one,” says Babcock grimly.His fight began last year when he applied to the Office of Cannabis Medical Access, a division of the federal government’s Health Canada, for what’s known as a section 56 exemption.It allows him to possess up to 120 grams of dried marijuana for medical use and spells out the strict conditions that apply to the exemption.Like others in his situation, Babcock had expected to be able to get access to marijuana grown by the federal government. However, an abrupt about-face by federal Health Minister Anne McLellan last fall means the pot grown under contract in an abandoned mine in Manitoba is off limits, reserved for clinical trials.Babcock turned to the Compassion Club, a non-profit society started in the ’90s in Vancouver that dispenses the clean marijuana that Babcock and others like him require.“I know their stuff has been completely flushed of all chemicals,” he says. “I can’t take a chance on the street stuff. It could kill me.”But with a price of between $6 to $10 per gram plus the $10 delivery charge, Babcock says it’s out of his league. “And the delivery charge is the same, even if you order one or two grams,” he says. “I’m on a disability claim. I can’t afford that.”Babcock was politely but firmly turned down by the College of Pharmacists in his request to have marijuana included in the drug schedules regulation.Again, the reason stated is that marijuana is subject to the controlled drugs and substances act plus the narcotic control regulations, which the college claims supersedes the drug schedule.Even the Office of Cannabis Medical Access has put obstacles in his path, denying him the first person he put forward as his designated grower because the man lived in Ontario and was already the subject of an earlier application.The last straw, Babcock says, came when a local infectious disease specialist, the doctor who had previously supported his application for a section 56 exemption, recently refused to sign the application for its renewal at the end of May. “He said he’d only signed it the first time as a courtesy,” Babcock says.He leans back on the couch of his trailer and lights up a joint, his second of the day, and takes a long toke, before telling his story.Born in Hamilton, Babcock was raised in Abbotsford, though in a less-than-tranquil home. “I was on the streets by the time I was 14,” he says.What followed was a patchwork life of odd jobs, petty crime and drug abuse.When he was 29, Babcock drifted into IV drug abuse, shooting up cocaine whenever he could get it.It was in 1998 that it all caught up with him in the form of a positive test for both HIV and Hepatitis C and B.“I quit right then and went into treatment,” Babcock says. “I haven’t done it since but it was too late.”Now Babcock exists in semi-isolation in his trailer, his T-cell count too low to risk catching a cold or flu. “I don’t go out or socialize much at all. I don’t have anyone over that’s sick,” he says. “That could kill me.”He’s fatalistic about dying, knowing it could go either way if he doesn’t respond to treatment. “I’m at a crossroads,” Babcock says. “If I don’t get proper treatment, I won’t make it but if I get proper treatment, and that includes medical marijuana, there’s the chance for more time.”There are some bright spots. Somewhere along the line, he fathered a daughter with whom he has since rekindled a relationship after not seeing her for 15 years.And Babcock has recently hooked up with a grower in B.C. who is providing him with clean marijuana for $100 an ounce, much less than he can get it from either the Compassion Club or on the street.“I’m going to get it one way or another because it’s my only chance at living,” he addsSource: Kelowna Capital News (CN BC)Author: John McDonald, Staff ReporterPublished: March 7, 2003Copyright: 2003 West Partners Publishing Ltd.Contact: edit kelownacapnews.comWebsite: http://www.kelownacapnews.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htm Medical Pot Helps Him Cope With Pain http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15658.shtmlOttawa To Appeal Marijuana Ruling http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15448.shtml
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Comment #5 posted by freedom fighter on March 07, 2003 at 21:58:48 PT
afterburner
This is exact word for word that my science teacher taught me back in 1973.. In her word, she said, "Government want me to tell you that smoking one joint will kill you, but however, I am going to tell you that is not true. What I am going to tell you is not to mix any drugs with any drugs. Do not take asprin(sp) and drink beer. Do not smoke joint and take another drug."I thought about her often.. Soundest advice ever.. In my mind, she did a service to humanity.. She saved my life countless time.. This is a civilized way of life.. Johnnny the WitchHunter, instead would rather de-purfify the quality of a substance that can kill anyone inclulding your child.I take any day to spend with my teacher rather than Johnny the WitchHunter.ff
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Comment #4 posted by afterburner on March 07, 2003 at 19:24:02 PT:
Another Story from the New Zealand Link
Coroner warns on cannabis suicide http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2314465a10,00.htmlAt the hearing his father, Ross Sinclair, said cannabis was the major cause of his son's problems, over and above his mental condition. He would enter into cycles of heavy cannabis use, binge drinking and depression.Of course, the binge drinking couldn't have any causality, now could it? Alcohol is a depressant. But, no, it must be the cannabis. Oh, really? Mixing psychotropics is not a good idea. Speedball, a mixture of heroin and cocaine, has killed several foolish celebrities. Learn the difference between stimulants, sedatives or depressants, narcotics or heavy sedatives, and psychedelics. Do not mix indiscriminately, whether the substances or drugs are legal or illegal.ego destruction or ego transcendence, that is the question.
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Comment #3 posted by mayan on March 07, 2003 at 18:27:26 PT
Virgil...
Did you notice how Walters had to specifically name marijuana? He knows that intelligent, thinking individuals don't regard marijuana as a dangerous drug! Actually, being the puppet that he is, he was probably advised to mention the "dreaded devil-weed"!!!From Virgil's article..."I am pleased that the delegates have acknowledged the harms of dangerous drugs, including marijuana, to the integrity of athletic competitions," Director Walters said.Unrelated, but important - No wonder Bush wants his war NOW. He may be facing impeachment soon! Impeaching Bush - Congressional Dems ready to avenge:
http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-enrich030603.aspSome older articles...Preemptive impeachment - Law professor stands ready to draft articles for any member of the House:
http://www.onlinejournal.com/Special_Reports/Ramares010403/ramares010403.htmlImpeachment Resolution Against President G.W. Bush:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0301/S00117.htmI still say the only way out is the way in - The Truth About September 11th From 23 Informative Websites
http://www.gooff.com/NM/templates/Breaking_News.asp?articleid=250&zoneid=2 Kaminski's Best 9/11 Sites - 4th Edition:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0302/S00024.htm
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on March 07, 2003 at 18:02:09 PT
New Zealand Cannabis Poll
Please vote here and thank you: http://www.stuff.co.nz/index.htmlCurrent Results:Do you think cannabis should be decriminalised? 
Yes (254 votes, 42%)    
No (350 votes, 57%)    
 
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Comment #1 posted by Virgil on March 07, 2003 at 17:28:07 PT
Walters-says"MJ is a dangerous drug"again
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
CONTACT: Brian Blake 202-395-6618
Wednesday, March 5, 2003 WHITE HOUSE DRUG CZAR LAUDS NEWLY APPROVED WORLD ANTI-DOPING CODE ENCOURAGES U.S. PROFESSIONAL SPORTS LEAGUES TO EMBRACE NEW CODE(Washington, D.C.) —John Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy and President Bush's "Drug Czar," today expressed his support for the "bold and decisive action" taken by delegates to the World Conference on Doping in Sport. At the conference, which finished today in Copenhagen, Denmark, the more than 1000 delegates from the Olympic movement, sporting agencies, and 80 governments approved the first-ever World Anti-Doping Code. The Code will govern and harmonize doping rules across sports for international competitions. The drugs covered by the Code include not only performance enhancing drugs, but also drugs that violate the spirit of sport, or jeopardize athletes' health and safety. "I am pleased that the delegates have acknowledged the harms of dangerous drugs, including marijuana, to the integrity of athletic competitions," Director Walters said. "We cannot ignore the deleterious effects of these drugs on the health and welfare of athletes. Whether they want to be or not, athletes are role models to their fans, including the young athletes who seek to emulate them. Using any prohibited drug, performance enhancing or otherwise, sends the wrong message to the young athletes of the world."Director Walters called upon professional leagues in the United States to adopt the new Code. "All people who support healthy and fair sports competition should embrace this new Code. Our professional sports leagues cannot hide from the fact that doping is a visible and dangerous example to our youth. The time is long past that professional sports leagues in this country seriously address this problem. It is unconscionable that professional athletes using these substances are getting sick and dying and yet many of their teammates, coaches, and league officials still just look the other way. The code signed today can serve as a model for professional sports leagues. Professional leagues that look away run the danger of embracing pharmacology, not athletic ability. By adopting the Code they can create a safer, more level playing field for competition and set a positive example for fans and especially young people."
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