Pubdate: Thu, 04 Oct 2007
Source: Mirror (CN QU)
Copyright: 2007 Communications Gratte-Ciel Ltee
Contact:  http://www.montrealmirror.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/267
Author: Chris Barry
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada)

MED POT'S SLOW ACCESS

As the Montreal Compassion Centre gets ready to celebrate the 
official opening of their new digs on 72 Rachel E. this Tuesday, Oct. 
9, at 6 p.m., relations between the benevolent marijuana distribution 
organization and the bureaucrats running Health Canada's Medical 
Marijuana Access program remain as stilted as ever.

"Sadly," says Montreal Compassion Centre president Marc-Boris 
St-Maurice, "Health Canada's program is not the product of social 
demand and medical necessity but a court-ordered directive, which 
they honour less than enthusiastically. Communicating with their 
office is cumbersome and, most times, futile. A simple phone call can 
take a week before it's answered-if it's answered at all. There are 
major delays processing things like applications and licence 
renewals. I mean, 18 months ago, we requested a supply of application 
forms that we still haven't received."

St-Maurice also cites frequent, "disturbing" reports of doctors being 
pressured by Health Canada to reduce their patients' recommended 
daily dosage of the sweet, healin' herb.

"The federal government's Medical Marijuana Access program is an 
embarrassing oxymoron," fumes St-Maurice. "We believe the time to 
acknowledge and legitimize our contribution to the Canadian health 
system is long overdue."
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman