Pubdate: Fri, 17 Aug 2001 Source: St. Thomas Times-Journal (CN ON) Copyright: 2001 St. Thomas Times-Journal Contact: http://www.bowesnet.com/Timesjournal/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/953 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada) MEDICAL MARIJUANA Yeah Man, Cool Idea No pain, no gain. Hopefully this is not true, now that Canadians are going pain-free. Yeah, man. The Canadian government is growing its own plot of marijuana, no doubt interested in getting a foot in the door of the lucrative pot sales business since gambling has paid off so well. Right now Health Minister Allan Rock has named a few illnesses for which there will be no criminal charges if a reefer is puffed to kill the pain. Is this the same health minister who came down so hard on cigarette smoking? Even though studies point out one marijuana cigarette does the damage of about five tobacco cigarettes when inhaled into the human lung. Canadians do have a low pain threshold. This is not so good if you contract a fatal lung disease from inhaling pot. But there is an up-side. Pain-wracked Canadians have helped the federal government into the marijuana business. Those whose pain is helped by pot may be allowed to grow their own. But the details of that remain sketchy. Watch for these individuals having to order some weed from the federal plot. Canadian doctors want more studies done to prove marijuana is more effective, or even as effective, as other approved drugs in relieving pain. They also want to study the side effects. But what do the doctors know, eh man? There will be no way to stop the flood of people wanting a doctor's certificate to use marijuana. There is a short list of ailments now approved by the federal government, but who is to say the pain from these illnesses is more difficult to bear than the pain of, say, a broken leg, cracked rib, spinal injury or even a stubbed toe? It could jeopardize the rights and freedoms of Canadians to allow marijuana for one type of pain and not for another. Clearly Utopia has arrived for Canadians in the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes. And less pain for Canadians could mean financial gain for the federal government. Cool, man, eh? - --- MAP posted-by: Josh