Pubdate: Thu, 20 Mar 2014
Source: Belleville News EMC (CN ON)
Copyright: Metrolands2014
Contact:  http://www.insidebelleville.com/bellevilleregion/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5267
Author: Alan Coxwell

STEPHEN HARPER GIVES MEDICAL PATIENTS YET ANOTHER KICK IN THE GUTS

Unless it is all a rather nasty April Fools joke, as of April 1, 2014 
life is going to be much tougher for medically challenged Canadians 
who have found using marijuana helps them with their illness. In a 
March 14, 2014 Health Canada news release, which reads like Harper 
wrote it himself, the threat of police action and prosecution has now 
been driven home to those already suffering from sickness. 
Essentially it says, "Do what we say or the police are coming to your 
house and you are going to one of the new jail cells Conservatives 
have built for you with your tax dollars."

In this Conservative news release titled "Changes to the Reporting 
Requirements in the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations" it 
states: "Recently, the Government of Canada amended the Marihuana for 
Medical Purposes Regulations to require participants of the Marihuana 
Medical Access Program to provide written notice to Health Canada by 
April 30, 2014, stating that they no longer possess marijuana (dried 
marijuana, plants or seeds) obtained under the old program. Those 
that were authorized to grow marijuana must also attest that they 
have discontinued production. Participants are also required to 
confirm the amount of marijuana and number of plants destroyed, if any.

If participants do not comply with the requirement to notify Health 
Canada, the Department will notify law enforcement. The Department 
will also continue to cooperate with police and provide information 
needed to protect public safety, as appropriate."

The information the police will be given, along with orders to 
prosecute, includes the name, address, SIN number and all other data 
Health Canada forced both medical users and designated growers to 
supply them with under the old program, which has been in existence 
since 2001. The message is, "We know who you are. Where you live. And 
we will be coming after you." No added stress there for some very ill people.

Without the existing Canadian Court order overruling him, Harper and 
his evangelical/Reform cabal on Parliament Hill would allow no 
medical patients to use cannabis to help them handle their 
sickness.The opening sentence of the latest news release states: 
"Health Canada does not endorse the use of marijuana and is taking 
the necessary steps to protect public safety while providing 
reasonable access to marijuana for medical purposes, as ordered by the Courts."

Reasonable access? Many people suffering from various diseases which 
marijuana has obviously been proven to help are now, under threat of 
police action, forced to destroy the marijuana, plants and seeds they 
legally obtained under the old rules. They have to destroy it and 
write to Health Canada by April 30th saying they have done so or 
expect a Swat Team to show up at their front door at 3 a.m. 
brandishing a battering ram. Those who grow for themselves at home 
are watching their investment in equipment destroyed. These ill 
people are more often than not quite low on the income ladder because 
their illnesses limit their ability to work. Now they are being 
forced to buy their medicine from Harper-selected growers.

Perhaps the real criminal act here centers on the lies, willful 
ignorance and ongoing taxpayer funded propaganda fed to the Canadian 
people by the Conservatives. Americans are realizing the outright 
lies told by Richard Nixon in 1971, when he declared America's War On 
Drugs, have got to end. Legalization has now taken place in Colorado 
and Washington states. Alaska is preparing to vote on legalization in 
August which could easily see British Columbia with American 
jurisdictions on both its northern and southern borders selling legal 
cannabis for medical as well as recreational use. Colorado realized 
over one million dollars in tax revenue in the first month of 
legalization and drug dealers have fled the state because the sales 
of street level drugs has dried up. Tourism is booming.

Meanwhile, here in Canada, we have a Prime Minister leading us into 
his own personal ideological dark ages based on ignorance and 
outright lies. Organized crime and street level drug dealers must 
once again be saying, "Thank you very much Mr. Prime Minister!" As a 
country, we can do better.

Alan Coxwell

Stirling
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom