cannabisnews.com: Government Must Continue To Supply Marijuana Government Must Continue To Supply Marijuana Posted by CN Staff on October 07, 2003 at 11:31:39 PT Press Release Source: Canada NewsWire Ottawa - The Canadian AIDS Society (CAS) and the Canadian Treatment Action Council (CTAC) applaud the Ontario Court of Appeal decision to uphold the January 2003 Mr. Justice Lederman ruling, which declared the Marijuana Medical Access Regulations (MMAR) unconstitutional. In January 2003, the Ontario Court of Appeal found that it was unjust for Medical Marijuana exemptees to have to obtain marijuana or the seeds to grow plants through illicit suppliers. The Court ruled that Health Canada must provide a licit source of marijuana to people who have exemptions. The Government of Canada has been fighting this decision every step of the way. Today, it was announced that Health Canada has lost their appeal and therefore must continue providing a legal source of marijuana to exemptees. "This is a huge victory for medicinal marijuana users who badly need a supply of their medicine," said Louise Binder, Chair of CTAC. "The government must stop wasting taxpayers dollars appealing legitimate court decisions, this time and energy should be invested in addressing medical marijuana as a medical issue rather than as a legal one". To date, despite a very arduous application process, almost 650 Canadians have qualified for an exemption to possess marijuana for medicinal use. "Most people with life threatening illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, MS and epilepsy simply do not have sufficient health and energy to fight court battles or the horticultural expertise to manufacture their own medicine," said Binder. CAS and CTAC will continue to advocate for the removal of barriers to access and seek nothing less than comprehensive medical marijuana legislation that provides patients with proper access to their medicine. "We will be calling on the Minister of Health to set up a multi stakeholder meeting with pharmacists, researchers, doctors and with citizen engagement to ensure that the compassionate program for medicinal marijuana works for everyone," added Binder. "We would ultimately like to see medical marijuana made available to Canadian patients through pharmacies in the same way that other medications are" said Paul Lapierre, Executive Director of the Canadian AIDS Society. "The cost of this treatment should be covered by our provincial health plans, it also needs to be available in various strengths and dosages so that it can work well for all people use it."CAS is a coalition of 115 community-based AIDS organizations across Canada. The CAS mandate is to speak as a national voice and act as a forum for a community-based response to HIV infection, as well as to advocate for persons so affected.CTAC is a national organization directed by people living with HIV/AIDS to support access to treatments for HIV/AIDS. For further information: Louise Binder, Canadian Treatment Action Council, Cell: (416) 457-3179; Mark Creighan, Canadian AIDS Society, Tel.: (613) 230-3580 ext. 122 or Cell (613) 724-9540Complete Title: Government Must Continue To Supply Marijuana To Sick CanadiansSource: Canada NewsWire (Canada)Published: October 7, 2003Copyright: 2003 Canada NewsWire Ltd.Contact: cnw newswire.caWebsite: http://www.newswire.ca/Related Articles & Web Site:Marijuana Medical Access Regulationshttp://www.medicalmarihuana.ca/mmar.htmlOnt. Appeals Court Rejects Federal Pot Ruleshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17487.shtmlOttawa Must Make Access To Pot Easierhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17486.shtmlOnt. Appeals Court Rejects Federal Pot Programhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17485.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Post Comment