Pubdate: Sun, 05 Aug 2001 Source: Winnipeg Sun (CN MB) Copyright: 2001 Canoe Limited Partnership Contact: http://www.fyiwinnipeg.com/winsun.shtml Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/503 Author: Dick Chapman Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada) 'LET ME HAVE MY WEED' Legal Pot Plan Frustrates Gulf War Vet Seeking Pain Relief TORONTO -- Canada's fledgling plan to let sick people get medical marijuana is like an exasperating episode in Joseph Heller's anti-war novel Catch-22, Gulf War veteran Tim Carriere says. The Campbellcroft man says Canada's cannabis catch-22 goes like this: The federal government may allow you to have it, but it's very difficult to find any -- legally. And even if you can, you can hardly afford it. Carriere, 38, is battling the Veterans Affairs department for reimbursement for medical marijuana for his severely arthritic knees. He wants "tens of thousands of dollars" for previous use of Marinol, a prescribed marijuana derivative in pill form, and wants the VA to pay about $45,000 for a home-growing operation. After two years of red tape, he finally got a legal exemption from Health Canada last month -- under its old medical pot rules -- to use and grow marijuana as a pain reliever and anti-inflammatory for osteoarthritis in his knees. The 6-foot-5, 140-pound Carriere has other ailments -- arthritis in his hips, ankles, elbows and hands; lupus; lung disease; bipolar affective disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. But his federal pot permit is based on his knee ailments. As a war veteran, Carriere figures he's entitled to free federal pot - -- not yet available -- or a $45,000 hydroponic pot lab. Carriere had a visit from OPP officers last week to review security for storing and growing pot, and realized an eight-foot fence around his acreage near Port Hope would cost $10,000. Ottawa should pay, he says. After all, as a war vet he's entitled to free medication, therapy, medical devices -- even home and automobile renovations -- for illness or disability acquired in our armed forces. Carriere says all his ailments are rooted in his exposure to uranium aboard contaminated Canadian military aircraft during the Gulf War. 'Didn't Ask For This' "I apologize to the whole country for getting hurt at work," Carriere says bitterly. "I gave 11 years to the service of my country. I didn't ask for this. I've been put through the wringer. I'm very proud that I made it through the application process because they sort of made up the rules as they went along. "Veterans Affairs has totally destroyed my life over this. I'm a hermit. I have no friends." Unlike mind-numbing morphine, pot simply "takes the edge off" his pain but leaves him alert. With three joints a day, he says he can function almost normally. Carriere consumes most marijuana in muffins, cookies, cereal and filtered coffee, since failing lungs make it inadvisable to smoke it -- the best way to get the full effect. However, like hundreds of Canadians already licensed under previous rules or thousands more who will soon meet new federal rules for medical pot, Carriere is caught in an irony: Now that he's cleared for use, there's precious little available. The only legally approved mass producer, Prairie Plant Systems of Saskatoon, will not be shipping any retail pot from its underground site at Flin Flon until at least December. Meanwhile, Ottawa isn't providing marijuana seeds to those previously approved to use it. No VA spokesmen was available to comment at its Peterborough office, or at Ottawa. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh Sutcliffe