Pubdate: Fri, 22 Feb 2013
Source: Penticton Western (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 Penticton Western
Contact:  http://www.pentictonwesternnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1310
Author: Joe Fries

MEDICAL TREATMENT GOING UP IN SMOKE

Medical Marijuana User Concerned Over Pending Changes to Health 
Canada Regulations

Smoking seven grams of marijuana every day would incapacitate most 
people, but a Penticton man says it's the only thing that helps him 
cope with a painful stomach ailment.

And he says he's now built up such a tolerance that weed no longer 
gets him high. But he is paranoid, however, about planned changes to 
Canada's medical marijuana program that could force him to become a criminal.

Red, who asked to use a pseudonym to protect his safety, is one of 
just a few dozen people in Penticton who are licensed by Health 
Canada to grow or possess marijuana for medical purposes.

A home-based artist in his late-30s, Red has been using marijuana 
since he was 18, but has only been licensed since 2011 to help him 
fight the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

"If I don't have (marijuana), first off all, I just don't have an 
appetite," he explained.

"When I do eat, certain foods work better than others, but generally 
I get cramps if I don't have it. It feels like digesting marbles."

While marijuana is available through Health Canada, Red prefers to 
grow his own, which saves him money and results in higher-quality medicine.

"Health Canada's product does not work," he said. "I would not even 
classify it as marijuana."

By the numbers

As of May 2012, Red was one of 17 people in Penticton who was 
licensed by Health Canada to grow and possess marijuana; 19 others 
were licensed to possess only, according to data obtained by the 
Western News through an access to information request.

Penticton has the fewest licensed medical marijuana users per capita 
among Okanagan cities. In Vernon, 68 people were authorized to grow 
and possess, according to the data, while 155 people in Kelowna had 
the same privilege.

To get such a licence, a patient must have a serious or debilitating 
illness for which conventional treatment has proven ineffective. The 
patient and doctor - and sometimes another specialist - then fill out 
reams of paperwork that Health Canada reviews before deciding whether 
to admit the person to the program.

Red guessed the disparity in the numbers between Penticton and other 
Okanagan cities likely has something to do with differences in 
communities' attitudes towards marijuana use and doctors' comfort 
prescribing the drug. In his case, he had to go to Vancouver Island 
to find a doctor willing to recommend him for the program.

Those who are only allowed to possess can buy directly from Health 
Canada or seek out other less legal sources, like compassion clubs. 
Those authorized to grow can tend a set number of plants to match 
their prescription needs. A third type of licence allows for 
designated growers, who produce marijuana for a licensed user.

That's all about to change.

Open to abuse

Until the end of February, Health Canada is accepting comments on 
proposed new regulations that will see it get out of the business of 
supplying pot and forbid licensed users from growing their own dope. 
Instead, they'll have to buy from licensed growers, who will need to 
abide by strict standards and be open to inspections and audits. The 
new dispensaries will operate on a mail-order basis only.

Health Canada spokesperson Stephane Shank said via email that the 
federal Conservative government is "very concerned" the system in 
place now is "open to abuse and exploitation by criminal elements," 
and that grow-ops are a fire hazard that present a risk to public safety.

The changes, Shank added, reflect concerns raised by police and fire 
departments, doctors and local governments during consultations in 
2011, and are set to take effect in March 2014.

Doctors and patients have different concerns.

Sky-high prices

Most worrisome for Red is what it will cost to buy his medication. 
According to Health Canada, the price of medical marijuana is 
expected to rise to $7.60 per gram by 2014 under the new regime, so a 
seven-gram daily dose would cost $53.20.

"I already can't afford my medicine if I have to buy it," he said. 
"That's why I grow it myself."

As he sees it, the new regulation will simply make criminals out of 
licensed users, who might decide to risk jail time by growing their 
own or purchasing on the black market to save money.

"It will just shove it completely underground again."

Being the gatekeepers

Doctors are just as worried about the new rules, which will only 
exacerbate their concerns about being the sole gatekeeper to medical marijuana.

Right now, physicians recommend patients for the program, but Health 
Canada approves and administers the licences. Under the new 
guidelines, a doctor would write out a simple prescription that a 
patient would send directly to a dispensary.

"We think it's a step in the wrong direction," said Dr. Shelley Ross, 
president of the B.C. Medical Association. "I think a better way is 
to make sure Health Canada still stays involved and does some 
regulation around it and doesn't just leave it with the physicians."

Ross said most doctors are uncomfortable recommending marijuana for 
patients because they don't know enough about it to prescribe 
correctly, nor are they confident they can always tell the difference 
between people who need pot for legitimate medicinal purposes from 
those who just want to use it recreationally.

"We're very sympathetic to patients that are having symptoms that 
aren't helped by the usual methods, and some of them feel the 
marijuana does help them," Ross said. "But on the other hand, we're 
very unhappy about being the gatekeepers of an illegal substance that 
hasn't got enough scientific basis as to whether it truly is safe to 
prescribe for people."

The American way

Red said he'll likely continue producing his own supply if the new 
regulations come into force as written, but he plans to grow fewer 
than six plants. Keeping six or more now attracts a mandatory minimum 
six-month jail sentence under changes to drug laws brought in last 
year by the Conservative government.

He thinks Canada has taken a step backward on its policy around 
marijuana, while south of the border, the states of Washington and 
Colorado have moved forward by beginning to decriminalize pot.

"The most ridiculous part is watching the United States of America 
lead the way," Red said. "They're legalizing it and we're doing the opposite."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom