cannabisnews.com: Government Research on MMJ Produces No Results Government Research on MMJ Produces No Results Posted by CN Staff on July 08, 2003 at 16:46:46 PT By Dennis Bueckert, Canadian Press Source: Canadian Press Ottawa -- Four years after former health minister Allan Rock announced a major effort to assess the medical benefits of marijuana, not a single study has been completed and the whole research program is clouded with uncertainty. Advocates of medical marijuana say the government has wasted millions of dollars growing marijuana in a Flin Flon, Man., mine without making any of it available to patients who need it, or to scientists for research purposes. "Health Canada over four years has spent almost $10 million on its medical marijuana program and has yet to supply a single gram or seed to a single sick Canadian," Philippe Lucas of Canadians for Safe Access, said in an interview Tuesday. In March, Health Canada terminated funding to the Community Research Initiative of Toronto, which was studying whether smoked marijuana can alleviate nausea and weight loss experienced by many people living with AIDS. The cut came just as the project was about to start enrolling volunteer research subjects, said Derek Thaczuk, a spokesman for the Toronto group. "Why they would choose to throw such a monkey wrench into such a major, pivotal trial at this point is beyond my understanding," said Thaczuk. Health Canada spokeswoman Jirina Vlk declined to say why the funding was terminated, but she said there were hopes research might continue with a new partner. She would not comment on the government's other marijuana research project, instead referring questions to Mark Ware, project leader at the McGill University Pain Centre. A McGill spokeswoman said Ware was unable to discuss the project, not even to say whether clinical work had begun. "He's not able right now to talk about what's going on with this research," Christina Zeindler said. "It's due to the legislation that's ongoing." The government has introduced legislation that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot for personal use, but it's not clear why that would affect scientific research. Although Health Minister Anne McLellan has stressed the importance of research to assess marijuana's medical benefits, no new studies have been approved under her watch. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) invited proposals for marijuana research last year and three proposals were received, but none were approved. "Health Canada sets the criteria for the process and in the last round none of the projects met their requirements," said CIHR spokeswoman Janet Weichel-McKenzie. The apparent stall in research comes amid mixed signals in the medical marijuana file. Six months ago an Ontario judge ordered Health Canada to broaden access to medical marijuana, saying it's unacceptable that patients must resort to the black market to get their treatment. The department has not indicated how it will respond to that deadline which is Thursday. Complete Title: Government Research on Medical Marijuana Produces No Results After Four YearsNewshawk: JR Bob Dobbs Source: Canadian Press Author: Dennis Bueckert, Canadian Press Published: Tuesday, July 08, 2003Copyright: 2003 The Canadian PressRelated Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmPot Regulations Violate Charter: Ontario Courthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15158.shtmlOntario Court Strikes Down Law on Medical Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15157.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #14 posted by FoM on July 09, 2003 at 07:52:41 PT CorvallisEric and afterburner I bookmarked this article and will check out the web sites later on and thank you.afterburner, Someone in CMAP might have a subscription to the Free Press and if it is there I will post it. I can't wait until we get our own group like CMAP! Hopefully it will be soon. I sent an email to observer but he hasn't gotten back with me yet but hopefully he will soon. He is the one that will set it up I believe. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by afterburner on July 09, 2003 at 07:25:36 PT: Re- Comment #4 Does anyone have access to Winnipeg news? I used to read the Winnipeg Free Press, but now their website is subscriber only, an unfortunate trend in some Canadian markets. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by CorvallisEric on July 08, 2003 at 23:34:34 PT FoM - You asked, I can't resist If you just want to see lots of pictures and prices for different monitors on a fairly nice website, try http://monitorsdirect.com - no experience with them, don't know how prices compare.I've bought parts (no monitors) at good prices from http://newegg.com (geeky and useful website once you get past the ugly front page, lists fixed shipping cost with each item) and http://provantage.com (badly packed and shipped from 3 different places, but otherwise OK). If you can stand the rebate game (one of mine took 6 months), http://staples.com and other chain stores have good deals sometimes (sales generally run Sunday thru Saturday).One final recommendation if you're a real masochist for confusing and badly designed websites. This might help to avoid the worst online ripoffs once you know a company you want to order from (camera dealers seem to be among the worst). Ratings and vast, detailed commentary from users, mostly geeks. Caveat: supported by advertisers which include those who rate high. http://resellerratings.com [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by FoM on July 08, 2003 at 21:35:57 PT CorvallisEric I really appreciate the information. I'm sure it might help others who have problems. Where can I buy a good monitor online that doesn't cost lots of money? The one that isn't working is a Gateway so I would want to steer away from them because of cost and the computer is fine. My monitor might be under warranty. I don't know where to look but when I get some time I'll dig around and find it. Thanks again. I have a CyberVision that I'm using now and it has nice colors but I can't get the brightness up. I'm just glad I have it! [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by CorvallisEric on July 08, 2003 at 21:27:28 PT FoM Now that you say it "drifted in from the sides" that would invalidate my diagnosis, which counted on the effect to be uniform over the entire screen. If you have a "degauss" button on the monitor (often part of on-screen setup menus), that sometimes corrects **very minor** color problems at the edges that creep up slowly. Oh well, I didn't mean to drag us all off-topic. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by FoM on July 08, 2003 at 21:09:16 PT CorvallisEric Thank you. It had hues of pink and pale blue that drifted in from the sides. It was pretty but I knew it was really bad so I didn't enjoy the colors. LOL! Gotta laugh sometimes. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by CorvallisEric on July 08, 2003 at 20:59:31 PT FoM: a little technical explanation The following only applies to CRT-type monitors, which you must have since you called it "heavy."Among the pins in the connector are those which carry signals for the primary light colors Red, Green, and Blue. These are fairly low-voltage analog signals (in other words, weak signals) which can be disrupted by corrosion. If one of the three signals is blocked a little, then a normally white screen will appear more-or-less colored. Etc.There used to be stuff you could put on connectors to keep this from happening - might still exist; I've never been troubled enough to try anything. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by FoM on July 08, 2003 at 20:36:03 PT Thanks CorvallisEric I'll give that a try. It has been humid here too. That would be a nice problem. Have to wait until my husband can do it for me. These monitors are heavy at least for me to move around. I'm really glad it isn't my computer. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by CorvallisEric on July 08, 2003 at 20:29:49 PT FoM: monitor problems If the entire screen changes color suddenly and erratically, it's possible the problem is only the monitor's connector at the back of the computer (or the connector at either end of the cable if you have that type which is rare). It happens to me every few months, especially in humid weather. All I do to fix it is loosen the screws a little, jiggle it around a little, and tighten it again. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by FoM on July 08, 2003 at 19:41:52 PT Thanks afterburner It seems like tomorrow should be a busy day between Marc and the Medical Marijuana issue in Canada. I hope someone tapes it.PS: My monitor went wacky last night. It was pretty shades of pink and pale blue. I don't know what happened but we hooked up my old monitor and it is working fine. Hopefully this one won't quit. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by afterburner on July 08, 2003 at 19:35:11 PT: News Flash!!! from: "chrisbennett Pot-TV Station Manager Re: Marc Emery in Toronto Pot & Police Puff Down! #583215 - Tue Jul 08 2003 04:58 PM WINNIPEG JULY 9 The Winnipeg Police have stated they plan to arrest Marc tomorrow, please, please, somebody tape this and send it in to Pot TV." Marc is of the opinion that there is no federal law prohibiting cannabis possession. A Nova Scotia provincial judge agrees with him. If the police arrest Marc in Winnipeg, it will help dramatize that "there is no offense known to the law" right across Canada. Marc has been arrested for pot many times before. I know he is not afraid of uninformed law enforcement officers."Darmouth, N.S. — Another drug case has ended because of controversy over Canada's marijuana laws. A provincial court judge in Dartmouth ruled Monday there is no valid federal law in place governing simple possession of marijuana.Judge Flora Buchan stayed charges against Paula Clarke, who was accused of possessing a small amount of pot. The judge cited recent cases in Prince Edward Island and Ontario, where similar charges have been stayed.She said citizens in Ontario and the Island are unlikely to be convicted of simple possession, and people in Nova Scotia deserve equal treatment." --N.S. Judge Stays Pot Charges March 31, 2003 http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/15/thread15832.shtmlPeople in all Canadian provinces "deserve equal treatment"!ego transcendence follows ego destruction, our prayers are with you, Marc. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by mayan on July 08, 2003 at 18:21:41 PT Deadline "Six months ago an Ontario judge ordered Health Canada to broaden access to medical marijuana, saying it's unacceptable that patients must resort to the black market to get their treatment. The department has not indicated how it will respond to that deadline which is Thursday."Health Canada is either terribly incompetent or they are leaving the door open for the courts to strike down the cannabis laws entirely. Either way, time is on our side. The countdown to Thursday grows louder.The way out is the way in...No Arabs on Flight 77 - Part II - The Passengers: http://www.sierratimes.com/03/07/07/article_tro_flight77.htmSaudi Group May Implicate Western Banks In 9/11 Suit: http://www.rense.com/general38/banak.htmBEYOND BUSH - Part I - by Michael C. Ruppert: http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/070103_beyond_bush_1.htmlMike Ruppert on Amy Goodman and the 9/11 Latecomers: http://www.questionsquestions.net/docs04/0518_ruppert911.html9/11 Prior Knowledge/Government Involvement Archive: http://www.propagandamatrix.com/archiveprior_knowledge [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on July 08, 2003 at 17:06:53 PT More news In Skokie, Illinois, lawmakers just passed (six to one) a resolution banning smoking in most public places. This is all over the local Chicagoland news, and one story (not the one below) mentioned a possible lawsuit alledging the patron's "constitutional right to smoke". Sure, it's a longshot at the moment, but wouldn't a precedent saying that "life liberty and the pursuit of happiness" includes tobacco smoking be a good precedent for potential cannabis law reform?And a comment about the above story... can't Health Canada ask the folks who run the Compassionate IND program? Haven't they been keeping records for the past few decades? I wish the folks in charge of the Compassionate IND program were as eager to go talk to Canadian lawmakers as the DEAONDCPDFA is. Skokie smoking ban story [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on July 08, 2003 at 16:51:35 PT Web Sites Mentioned in Above Article Canadians for Safe Access: http://www.safeaccess.ca/Canadian Institutes of Health Research: http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/ [ Post Comment ] Post Comment