Pubdate: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 Source: Metro (Edmonton, CN AB) Copyright: 2014 Metro Canada Contact: http://www.metronews.ca/Edmonton Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4475 Authors: Leah Germain & Jeremy Nolais POT-FRIENDLY DOCS IN SHORT SUPPLY Federal reforms spark new rules for province's physicians Patients and experts fear prospective Alberta medicinal-marijuana users will have an impossible time acquiring a prescription as new rules turn physicians into the "gatekeepers" of the drug. The concerns stem from new regulations implemented by Health Canada on April 1, which have put the onus on doctors across the country to determine who can turn to commercial growers to treat their ailments with cannabis. Previously Health Canada had to approve applications to access the drug. Numerous pro-marijuana advocates told Metro there were already very few doctors in Alberta willing to back the bud when compared with other provinces like B.C. Fonda Betts, chief operation officer of the GreenLeaf Medical Clinic in Abbotsford, B.C., said many doctors are hesitant to prescribe marijuana because it comes with a huge learning curve. "It's a challenge for physicians who don't understand the cannabis landscape," she said. "The medical-marijuana industry is so fast moving, you have to keep your finger on the pulse." Meeting with patients via webcam, GreenLeaf has given prescriptions to a number of Albertans who can't find a doctor locally, Betts said. After federal reforms took effect this week, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta was prompted to introduce new pre-prescription regulations. Among the requirements, physicians must now provide evidence they have professional training specific to the use of marijuana before providing the drug. College spokesperson Kelly Eby was quick to point out that Health Canada has not approved the use of marijuana but was required by the courts to provide "reasonable access." Eby said the new rules turn the college's members into "gatekeepers" of the drug, thus prompting the new requirements. "We've heard that there are concerns from (physicians) about their new role," she said. Eby said the number of marijuana-friendly doctors in Alberta is not actively tracked. But numerous users interviewed indicated anecdotally that bud-friendly physicians are few and far between. Calgary patient Lisa Kirkman said the new rules will likely drive the health community even further away from accepting marijuana as a viable treatment option. "This is the one province where everybody has to leave the province to go find =C2=85 a cannabinoid specialist," she said. "The science doesn't lie.... What (college members) are basically saying is, 'We are the worst doctors in all of Canada.'" - --- MAP posted-by: Matt