Pubdate: Thu, 28 Sep 2006
Source: NOW Magazine (CN ON)
Copyright: 2006 NOW Communications Inc.
Contact:  http://www.nowtoronto.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/282
Author: Doug Hutchinson

STRAIGHT DOPE FROM POT PROF

It Was An Ugly Process, But In The End U Of T Provided My Own 
Ventilated Toking Room

U of T philosophy professor Doug Hutchinson, who won the right this 
week to smoke pot during work hours for an undisclosed medical 
condition, goes public about his travails in an open letter released 
September 22 to U of T authorities, fellow philosophy professors and 
graduate students.

Greetings, philosophers. I thought I should let you know that as of 
this week our university has a professor who smokes marijuana openly 
on campus, legally, and with workplace accommodation for his need to 
use this remedy.

I am that professor.

I feel it falls to me to let you know this state of affairs in the 
proper terms so that the inevitable rumours and possible slanders 
that arise can be ignored or challenged by you, my peers and fellow 
philosophers.

I have used marijuana for a serious and chronic health condition for 
over 10 years, in varying amounts for the varying condition.

Currently, the use is heavy and the condition is stable or improving. 
As for what this condition is, I would ask you please not to 
speculate or spread rumours or half-truths. Canada has laws that are 
meant to protect the privacy of personal health information.

If you know me well, you will feel free to ask.

How did I manage this transition from clandestine smoker to 
officially accommodated one? It was an ugly process that started when 
college and university authorities, acting on policies to repress the 
use of marijuana among students, decided that they needed to enforce 
those laws and policies against me as well.

Over the course of months of sometimes angry discussions, the other 
side learned better what the facts of my case and the laws on 
marijuana actually are.

The outcome is that I have been provided with a ventilated basement 
smoking room in Trinity College, and the provost of the college and 
the provost of the university have both written me letters in which 
they "acknowledge" and "respect" my choice of therapy.

I take this opportunity to thank the college and the university for 
this good solution and for these necessary affirmations of the 
legitimacy of my conduct.

Colleagues and other U of T employees who may need adapted working 
conditions due to a health condition should know that since 2003 our 
university has had an Office of Health and Well-being Programs and 
Services, whose function is to support the work of afflicted employees.

The staff in this office recommend the appropriate accommodation 
while holding health information confidential from all other 
university parties. I found this process worked fairly well, and I 
feel that others should know about it and trust in its integrity.

Colleagues and others who use marijuana wholly or partly for medical 
reasons should be using medical-grade marijuana, with a good 
selection of strains, of which there are currently two sources of 
supply in Toronto.

I know these compassion clubs well and will be glad to offer informed 
advice. Colleagues and others who wonder whether their use of 
marijuana is medical, or whether they should try some preparation of 
marijuana for their health condition, should feel free to apply to me 
for guidance and further information.

Professors who become known as heavy users of marijuana risk a great 
loss of credibility, and I wish I had been able to remain discreet; 
but I was "outed" by college authorities from where I was hiding in 
my "dope closet."

Under these circumstances, I decided to come out fully into the open, 
on my own terms. This is the reason I am writing this letter to you; 
and this is the reason I explained the situation to my undergraduate 
class on Tuesday, before they could be shocked (or not) at the sight 
of me puffing during the break (outside the building, of course).

It would be realistic of me to expect a higher than usual degree of 
scrutiny of my performance at this time; but rather than resent this 
scrutiny, the better plan is to invite it. There are 10 spare seats 
in my third-year class on Seneca, which meets from 10 am to 1 pm on 
Tuesdays, and I invite visits to my class from graduate students, 
colleagues and higher university officials to see for themselves 
whether the pot-head professor is teaching well.

Please get in touch with me if you intend to visit; and if you wish I 
will send you the Seneca readings for the day.

It is not a satisfactory defence of my Charter rights to have my 
grudging authorization from Health Canada while students and others 
are hounded as criminals for doing what looks like the very same 
thing; this casts dark shadows of opprobrium on the blameless sick.

My experience in coming out into the open has rekindled my activism 
on the marijuana front, and I am now building, with other Canadian 
activists, fresh legal challenges to our Charter-defective and 
previously invalidated prohibition, which seems to have been 
miraculously resurrected in October 2003 .

I invite colleagues and others to join me in this liberal struggle.
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MAP posted-by: Elaine