Pubdate: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 Source: Standard, The (St. Catharines, CN ON) Copyright: 2004, The Standard Contact: http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/676 Author: Peter Downs Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada) DRUG STORES NOT LIKELY TO SELL MUCH MARIJUANA The organization representing Niagara pharmacies isn't opposed to a Health Canada plan to make government-certified marijuana available through drug stores. But it doesn't expect the proposed change to generate many sales because so few people are approved to use medical marijuana, said Niagara Falls pharmacist Brian White, interim president of the Pharmacists' Association of Niagara Peninsula. Currently, there are only 78 people across the country who have been certified to buy Health Canada marijuana. Even if pharmacies were permitted to sell the drug for medicinal purposes, it wouldn't make sense for them to stock it unless there were more government-approved users, said White. "I see it as a very, very, very minor thing and probably nothing for (the) Niagara peninsula," he said Monday. Health Canada is organizing a pilot project in British Columbia, modelled on a year-old program in the Netherlands, that would allow medical users to buy marijuana at pharmacies. Under the present program, Health Canada sends marijuana to certified users by courier or through their doctors. The marijuana, grown for the government in an abandoned mine in Flin Flon, Man., sells for $150 for a 30-gram bag. But the department is changing the regulations to allow participating pharmacies to stock marijuana for sale to approved patients without a doctor 's prescription, similar to regulations governing so-called morning-after pills - emergency contraceptives that can be obtained directly from a pharmacist without the need for a doctor's signature. A notice of the change is expected to be made public this spring, allowing for drugstore distribution later in the year. St. Catharines pharmacist Nello Rescigno said he's in favour of the proposal. "As long as they have clinical evidence to support it and it may help an individual, then why not?" said Rescigno, who owns Linwell Medical Pharmacy in the city's north end. Stocking marijuana shouldn't raise security problems for pharmacists, he said. "All pharmacies are supposed to have proper storage facilities for narcotics," Rescigno noted. Medical marijuana activist Matthew Mernagh would welcome the opportunity to buy pot at a pharmacy rather than through a street dealer. The St. Catharines resident said he smokes up to four grams of marijuana daily to control chronic pain from osteo-arthritis. "I would love to just go down to the pharmacist to pick up my medicine. It's a lot safer," said Mernagh, who is not certified by Health Canada to buy marijuana for medicinal purpose. Mernagh, 30, is executive director of the Niagara Compassion Society, a non-profit organization which helps people obtain marijuana for medical purposes. The fledgling group, which Mernagh founded last September, has 10 members, including one who is certified to buy Health Canada marijuana. But many people with health problems aren't interested in registering with the government as medical users because there's too much red tape, said Mernagh. "There's a great deal of problems with the Health Canada program," he said. "Getting a doctor's signature is also difficult because they fear they could be held liable for a drug that isn't approved." Mernagh also maintained the marijuana grown for Health Canada is very poor quality. "The price is good, but the product is terrible," he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin