cannabisnews.com: Canada To Sell Medical Marijuana To Seriously Ill





Canada To Sell Medical Marijuana To Seriously Ill
Posted by CN Staff on July 09, 2003 at 11:41:32 PT
By David Ljunggren
Source: Reuters 
Ottawa -- Canada became on Wednesday the first country in the world to start selling marijuana to several hundred seriously ill people but said the pot project could be halted at any time.Ottawa announced in July 2001 that some patients would be able to use marijuana provided by the government. But plans to grow official pot hit a series of snags, prompting a court in Ontario to give Ottawa until July 10 to come up with a solution.
The new plan is Ottawa's response to that ruling. Federal officials said more research into the claimed benefits of medical pot was needed and they would therefore appeal the court ruling, a decision that angered critics."My first obligation is to ensure the safety and efficacy of this product. Marijuana is not a proven therapeutic product," said Health Minister Anne McLellan."I remain committed to (Ottawa's) medical marijuana research program, which promotes research on the medical value of marijuana while taking a compassionate approach to Canadians who suffer from serious medical conditions."The 582 sufferers granted dispensation from criminal laws to use the drug will be able to buy dried marijuana for C$5 ($3.70) a gram (0.04 oz) -- about half the current black-market rate -- or a pack of 30 seeds for $20 so they can grow their own plants."Although this interim policy can be amended or suspended at any time, it is anticipated that it will remain in effect until...(Ottawa's) roles and responsibilities with respect to a supply of marijuana for medical purposes have been clarified by the courts," the health ministry said in a statement.McLellan said despite the planned appeal, Ottawa would press ahead with clinical trials to probe whether marijuana could really benefit the ill.The drug -- grown in a special federal facility in a mine shaft in central Canada -- will be given to patients by their doctors. Officials recommend that patients do not smoke pot but rather put it in food, drinks or use other methods.Alison Myrden, who has multiple sclerosis, a disorder of the brain and spinal cord, took part in a demonstration in Ottawa and condemned the government for appealing the court ruling."This country has to act now...nobody wants us to play this political football game any more. People are suffering and dying out there," she said.Canada's approach is markedly different to that of the United States, where the Supreme Court in 2001 upheld a federal ban on medical marijuana.U.S. authorities have strongly criticized Canadian plans to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, arguing it could result in highly potent pot flooding across the border.Health Canada: Interim Policy for The Provision of Marihuana Seeds and Dried Marihuana Product for Medical Purposes in Canada: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/media/releases/2003/2003_54bk2.htmSource: Reuters UKAuthor:  David LjunggrenPublished: July 09, 2003Copyright: 2003 Reuters Related Articles & Web Sites:Canadians for Safe Accesshttp://www.safeaccess.ca/Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmCanada To Sell Marijuana for Medical Usehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16798.shtmlOttawa Unveils Interim Medical Marijuana Deal http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16797.shtmlOttawa OKs Medical Pot Distribution Plan http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16796.shtml
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Comment #5 posted by SoberStoner on July 09, 2003 at 17:17:32 PT
62% huh?
How many of those people are there due to mandatory court orders?How much does each brainwashing..err..treatment cost taxpayers?Amazing how an almost completely benign (read: non-addictive) substance can have more people being 'treated' than heroin, cocaine, methanphetamines, or...alcohol and tabacco addicts.I haven't smoked cigarettes in almost 4 years and I still get cravings now and again. I didnt smoke cannabis for 5 years and didnt have a single craving that compared to that feeling once. Like a bumber sticker I saw read, Man made beer, god made cannabis, who do you trust?SS
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Comment #4 posted by Duzt on July 09, 2003 at 14:49:38 PT
The media never get it right
Canada may have been the first to sell it as medicine but Holland was first to provide it through its pharmacies. They don't sell it, they give it to patients for free. $5 a gram is what I pay for good strains from local growers, that's way too high for the herb they are getting as I would describe it as "mids". Selling seeds to patients is a joke as well, they should be distributed for free since they cost almost nothing to produce tens of thousands of seeds. They don't plan on making this work, it's just a large smoke screen to hide their true intentions until they can appeal. 500 people in the entire country can use cannabis legally, there are more people than that with recommendations in my city of around 50,000 in California. Hopefully the Canadian courts will see this for what it is. 
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Comment #3 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on July 09, 2003 at 14:17:25 PT
"Health" Canada
>>[...]but said the pot project could be halted at any time.
In other words, the project WILL be halted as soon as possible. Health Canada didn't start it until the very day the court-imposed deadline was to pass, and if a judge goes their way they'll stop the minute they are able. They don't want to do this, it's painfully obvious, and they'll do as little as possible. But what do they honestly expect the enlightened judges of Ontario to do? It's equally obvious that the call for more research is a blatant stalling tactic. Read any number of unbiased reports from Canada or the USA, or ask the people who run the USA's Compassionate IND program. I'm sure they've kept some notes over the past few decades...
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Comment #2 posted by afterburner on July 09, 2003 at 12:07:23 PT:
Give It Up, John: Your Credibility Is Gone.
Forced treatment by court order does not prove the danger of cannabis, only the danger of cannabis prohibition where the truth is twisted by over-paid sycophants into vile freedom-denying abuses of technology. ego transcendence follows ego destruction, your 15 minutes of fame is over!
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on July 09, 2003 at 11:53:25 PT
News Brief from TheSanDiegoChannel.com
DA Meets With Drug Czar To Combat DrugsWalters Promotes '25 Cities Initiative'July 9, 2003SAN DIEGO -- The director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, John Walters, is in San Diego to talk about his program, "25 Cities Initiative," which will seek to coordinate efforts on reducing drug use in America's largest cites. He is also helping San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis announce the formation of a new narcotics division. 
At the Town and Country Resort & Convention Center he toured exhibits of the latest drug-fighting technologies, including night-vision devises, digital wire tap systems, and computer systems that integrate tracking, surveillance and other tools which form solid cases against drug criminals. A small group of people gathered outside the convention center to protest Walters and the war on drugs, 10News reported. "If you want to get the money out, if you want to get the crime out, you make things legal. We learned that with alcohol prohibition years ago. The government still has not learned that lesson," said Steve McWilliams, a protester and proponent of medical marijuana. In response to the protesters, Walters told 10News that 62 percent of patients in drug rehabilitation are being treated for the use of marijuana. Copyright: 2003 by TheSanDiegoChannel.com
DA Meets With Drug Czar To Combat Drugs
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