Pubdate: Tue, 19 Jul 2016
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2016 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Daniel Leblanc
Page: A4

MARIJUANA TASK FORCE FACES 'FASCINATING JOURNEY' IN MAKING REGULATION
DECISIONS

Mark Ware was working with patients suffering from a painful blood
disease in the late 1990s when he noticed that many of them were
self-medicating. The sickle cell anemia research clinic where he was
working was in Jamaica, and the pain reliever of choice for a growing
number of his patients was cannabis.

The episode put the British-born, Jamaica-raised doctor on the path
that has made him a world-renowned expert on the use of cannabis in
pain management.

Now based at McGill University in Montreal, Dr. Ware will turn his
attention in coming months to the use of marijuana for recreational
purposes. As a key member of a new task force, he will help the
federal government to create a legal regime for all adult pot users.

"The next six months will be a fascinating journey in understanding a
different aspect of cannabis regulation than the medical model," he
said recently in his first media interview since being named
vice-chair of the task force.

The government called on former Liberal cabinet minister Anne McLellan
last month to lead a nine-member task force on marijuana legalization
and regulation. She was hired because of her political know-how and
the expertise she gained as a minister of health, justice and public
safety in the 1990s and 2000s.

The panel will provide its findings to the government and the public
by November, with new legislation to come in the spring of 2017.

Dr. Ware, who was brought in as one of Canada's foremost experts on
the science behind marijuana, said he does not believe that cannabis
is a "panacea" as a medical drug. He also said there should be strict
controls on the quality and potency of recreational marijuana,
especially as Canada starts research on the long-term impact of
legalization. "Under a regulated, non-medical model, the opportunity
stands to learn in a much more informed way what is the true picture
of cannabis use and its impact on health," Dr. Ware said.
"Unquestionably, from a medical standpoint, it's crucial for patients
using any drug that they know its origins, its quality, its potency."

The issues that remain to be determined are numerous: Who will have
the right to produce marijuana for recreational purposes; how will the
product be distributed and sold; and what type of research will be
needed to ensure that legalization meets the government's
public-health objectives?

The overarching question is whether the government will opt for a
strongly regulated system that allows only a few producers and tightly
controlled sellers, or whether it will allow home growers and a wide
variety of dispensaries across the country.

While the task force's final decisions are still months down the road,
the background of the nine members on the panel suggests they will
recommend a regime that will be more restrictive than liberal. Another
task force member, Catherine Zahn of the Centre for Addiction and
Mental Health, said the group will discuss regulations for issues such
as the growth and production of marijuana, the minimum age for buyers
and the allowable concentration of active ingredients in legal products.

CAMH issued a key report in 2014 that called for the legalization of
marijuana in order to offer better protection to young users, frequent
users and those suffering from mental illness.

"We know that like alcohol, like cigarettes, like gambling, there are
individuals who may be at risk for more harms," Dr. Zahn said in an
interview. Dr. Ware agreed on the need to place limits on the
accessibility of the drug to protect the overall health of Canadians.
In his research on marijuana for medical purposes, he studied the
different uses for the drug and its effects on issues such as
neuropathic pain. He concluded that the health effects related to the
regular consumption of marijuana are not a cause for major alarm. "In
a nutshell, the side effects that we found were not unexpected; they
were mostly mild to moderate in terms of severity," Dr. Ware said.
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MAP posted-by: Matt