cannabisnews.com: Ottawa to Test Medicinal Use of Pot!





Ottawa to Test Medicinal Use of Pot!
Posted by FoM on March 04, 1999 at 11:26:15 PT

The federal government plans to conduct human clinical tests to determine if smoking marijuana can reduce pain in terminally ill patients, a first step toward legalizing the drug for medical purposes. 
Health Minister Allan Rock's announcement in the House of Commons on Wednesday was both applauded and panned in Calgary. "It's a good idea, and it's about time," said Dr. Nady El-Guebaly, medical director of the addictions centre at Foothills Hospital. "Let's test it. So far it's been a lot of heated debate and little science. I think it's high time we did a properly controlled trial." But Det. Pat Tetley, a city police drug expert who's testified at more than 500 court cases around North America, said products are available on the market that have the same or better results than you would get from smoking marijuana. "It's a placebo effect, or at best it's an excuse for a person to continue to smoke it because they've been smoking it all their lives," said Tetley, who's studied marijuana since 1979. "I think it's absolutely ridiculous to think that we would ever make it legal medicinally." Tetley said: "My heart goes out to these people who are afflicted with these kinds of diseases, who are suffering . . . But surely to God we can come up with something better than smoking marijuana to help these people out." Rock later explained that it should not be seen as a step toward legalizing marijuana use. "This has nothing to do with legalizing marijuana," he told reporters. "This has to do with the fact there are people in Canada suffering from terminal illnesses who have symptoms which are very difficult and who believe (smoking marijuana) can help." Rock said there is much anecdotal evidence from individuals suffering from cancer and AIDS who say the drug can alleviate pain and combats nausea, but no strict scientific evidence. The minister released few details of the tests, but said officials have been asked to set up the clinical experiments, as well as establish what kinds of patients would participate and look into how patients could be guaranteed access to a safe supply of the drug. A spokesman for the minister said it may take a month or two before officials draw up plans for the clinical tests, determining the size of the tests and the duration. Rock and Justice Minister Anne McLellan had pledged to initiate a national debate of medical marijuana more than a year ago, but Wednesday's announcement was the first concrete step toward legalizing the drug for patients. Pressure has been building on the issue in both Canada and the U.S. for years. Last November voters in six U.S. states joined California in approving referendums to legalize medical marijuana use. Bloc Quebecois MP Bernard Bigras plans to introduce a motion in Parliament today urging the government to take every step toward legalizing medical marijuana. Reaction from opposition members Wednesday was mostly positive, although Reform MP Grant Hill, a medical doctor, warned of risks if the testing was seen as a first step down the road to legalizing the drug for general use. "As a medical doctor, I have treated young people who were habituated to marijuana, whose (school) marks had suffered and whose lives were wrecked," he said. "But I'm open to compassion if marijuana is the only thing that works." Advocates say the drug is effective in reducing spasms for multiple sclerosis sufferers, epilepsy seizures, as a painkiller and in reducing symptoms of nausea which helps patients undergoing chemotherapy. Calgary pot crusader Grant Krieger, who has multiple sclerosis and smokes the illegal drug to alleviate his symptoms, applauded the government . "The cannabis plant is a very safe and effective alternative medicine, which is banned," said Krieger, 44, who is organizing a Compassion Club in Calgary to provide locally grown pot to people with serious illnesses. Two years ago, Krieger said he asked the federal health department for permission to do a research project and "they laughed at me."Helen Dolik, Calgary Herald and Southam Newspapers
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