Pubdate: Tue, 16 Dec 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
Author: James Keller
Page: S3

NEW SUPPLY SYSTEM BESET BY COMPLAINTS

Low supply and high prices among list of patients' concerns after
production became restricted to commercial firms

Shaun Simpson has had a migraine headache for the past seven
years.

His medical problems started with surgery to remove a piece of his
skull that was pressing against his brain. The procedure left him with
a spinal-fluid leak, which, in turn, fuels a near-constant headache.

For years, Mr. Simpson took a dozen or more Tylenol 3 pills a day, but
they caused unpleasant side effects and weren't completely effective.

About two and a half years ago, he received a prescription for medical
marijuana, which he ordered from Health Canada.

"I don't feel like I'm drugged out or stoned [like I did with] the
Tylenol 3; I'm actually more active and social," says Mr. Simpson, 34,
who works as a photographer in the Maritimes.

"It's really changed my life as far as day-to-day routine
goes."

Mr. Simpson is among tens of thousands of Canadians who have used
medical marijuana legally since 2001, and, like many of those
patients, he was forced earlier this year to adjust to a massive
overhaul of the system.

The federal government implemented new rules prohibiting patients from
growing their own pot and instead restricting production and sale to a
new collection of licensed commercial operations.

But the system has been beset by complaints of low supply and high
prices. Some commercial producers have long waiting lists and are
plagued by frequent sellouts, and approvals for new operations to fill
the gap have been slow.

Mr. Simpson initially signed up for Toronto-based Mettrum, but he said
the company was often sold out of the strain he needed. He is now on
the waiting list for OrganiGram, based in Moncton, N.B., and in the
meantime he's been using grey-market marijuana dispensaries.

Ottawa introduced the previous medical marijuana regime following a
court decision in 2000 that ordered it to provide access to the drug.

About 38,000 patients received authorizations under that system, most
of whom either chose to grow at home or asked someone else to grow it
for them. Several thousand bought directly from Health Canada, which
sold a single strain for $5 a gram.

The previous regime was repealed on March 31 of this year, leaving
fledgling commercial producers the only official option. However, a
Federal Court judge issued an injunction that has allowed many
patients to continue growing their own until a trial examining the
updated rules in the new year.

There are currently 15 companies licensed to produce and sell medical
marijuana; eight others are licensed to produce the drug but not to
sell it.

Prospective suppliers must meet a list of strict conditions, including
rigorous security requirements and measures to control odours.

Denis Arsenault, CEO of OrganiGram, says the regulations have mostly
been working well. He said he understands the need for security and
inspections.

"It's been a very good experience; when they come in to do their
inspections, it's very clear they want us to succeed," says Mr. Arsenault.

"Everybody is better off if a patient has access to their medicine, if
there is a steady, regulated supply."

OrganiGram has a wait list for new patients, but Mr. Arsenault says
the company hopes to eliminate that soon.

Health Canada says about 13,700 patients were registered under the new
system as of Oct. 31. That's an increase from about 5,100 in April and
almost 8,000 in June.

Patients with a doctor's prescription place their orders directly with
the licensed producer of their choice. The program is limited to dried
marijuana; producers cannot sell other forms of pot, such as edible
products or oils.

Costs range from as low as $2.50 a gram to as high as $15, depending
on the producer and the strain, but most are between $8 and $10.

Those grams have added up: Health Canada says 1,400 kilograms - or 1.4
million grams - were sold by licensed producers between Jan. 1 and
Oct. 31.

There have only been three new licences to sell marijuana issued since
the summer, the most recent being MariCann, located in Southern
Ontario, which was added in early December.

As of Nov. 24, there were 301 applications still being assessed by
Health Canada. Of those, 13 were awaiting a pre-licence inspection -
the final step before being approved.

Sundial Growers, which wants to produce medical marijuana near
Airdrie, Alta., just north of Calgary, is in the queue.

Company president Stan Swiatek says he asked Health Canada for a final
inspection in May. He has received a few requests for more
information, but so far no one from the department has shown up and he
has no idea when they will.

"It's just sort of random - they arbitrarily decide which
[application] to deal with," says Mr. Swiatek, a former cucumber
grower. "The reality is, we just have to sit and wait."

In Nanaimo, B.C., Tilray says it's currently operating at 20 per-cent
capacity because Health Canada hasn't approved it to use all of its
available space. A spokesman says the company has repeatedly asked
Health Canada to inspect and approve the added production space, but
there has been no response.

Health Canada says it does not track waiting lists at individual
producers, though the department says there is adequate supply across
the entire system. In October, for example, commercial growers
produced 450 kilograms of marijuana, while only 240 kilograms were
sold, the department says.

The federal government's comments on the issue have largely been
limited to pointing outmarijuana is not an approved medical treatment.
The government discourages anyone from consuming marijuana and points
out it only allows medical cannabis because it was forced to by the
courts.

Health Minister Rona Ambrose did not make herself available for an
interview, but her office issued a written statement that repeated the
government's previous statements.

Neil Closner, CEO of Med Re-Leaf, based in Markham, Ont., says the
government's talking points appear to ignore the reality of patients,
who say marijuana helps with a list of ailments.

"It certainly doesn't help when messages are coming out from the
government that it is not an approved drug and that it's bad for you,"
said Mr. Closner.

"There is mounting evidence - and it will only continue to grow - that
this product is beneficial for many people."

Producers are prohibited from making medical claims to patients. Last
month, Health Canada sent most licensed growers letters ordering them
to remove content from their websites beyond product names, price and
cannabinoid content.

Mr. Closner says prohibiting producers from guiding consumers to
particular strains based on their medical needs will only hurt patients.

"It's our belief that patients need that information in order to make
informed choices about which products to use," he says.

Canada's shift to a commercial market comes as federal politicians
debate the larger issue of prohibition. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau
has been pilloried by the Conservatives for supporting
legalization.

It also comes as several U.S. jurisdictions establish recreational pot
industries.

Voters in Alaska, Oregon and the District of Columbia approved ballot
initiatives to legalize marijuana possession earlier this year, while
Colorado and Washington state have already legalized the drug. Another
18 states have decriminalized possession of small amounts.

In addition, medical marijuana is available in 23 states.
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