Pubdate: Tue, 25 Mar 2014
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2014 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Page: A10

POT MAKES DOCTORS ANXIOUS

When Health Canada announced it was changing the laws governing how
medical marijuana is produced and dispensed, the goal was a good one:
Increase access to pot for those who legitimately need it to ease
suffering from pain.

However, the new rules, which go into effect on April 1, are
threatening to have the exact opposite effect. That's because the vast
majority of doctors - the medical professionals responsible for
authorizing the use of medical marijuana - are extremely wary. In
failing to take their concerns seriously, Health Canada risks reducing
access to medical marijuana rather than expanding it.

Doctors' concerns around their new role are entirely understandable.
Only 7 per cent of all physicians and 14 per cent of family doctors
support active authorizations to possess medicinal cannabis, according
to Health Canada's own figures. Many believe that they cannot
prescribe a substance that has not undergone the same rigorous
clinical trials and approvals process as pharmaceuticals. Scientific
studies of the safety and efficacy of medical marijuana "are not
conclusive," according to Health Canada's own website, and the agency
"is not aware of any clinical research on this subject." Can we blame
doctors for being nervous?

They also worry there is insufficient oversight of how the
prescriptions are actually filled. Under the old law, Health Canada
issued "authorizations" for the use of medical marijuana after
receiving detailed forms signed by a doctor, which specified the
medical conditions and specific symptoms their patient suffered from.
The new forms doctors will fill out offer no such information. The
patient simply takes the signed form, sends it in to a commercial pot
producer and receives their marijuana in the mail. Doctors have no way
of verifying the strength or strain of the marijuana. It's the
equivalent of prescribing aspirin, and rolling the dice on whether the
dispensed bottle contains baby Aspirin or Tylenol Extra Strength.

Even if pot were decriminalized, these concerns would still exist.
Marijuana's medical effects - the conditions it can treat, appropriate
doses, interactions with other drugs and side effects - need to be
better understood if doctors are expected to prescribe it as medicine.
Doctors are right to question the new rules. If Health Canada is going
to give them the responsibility of prescribing pot, it should at least
attempt to address their concerns in a meaningful way.
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MAP posted-by: Matt