Pubdate: 5 Mar 1999 Source: Toronto Star (Canada) Copyright: 1999, The Toronto Star Contact: http://www.thestar.com/ Page: A20 Section: Editorials and Opinion RELIEF IN SIGHT Denying marijuana to desperately ill people in order to keep it out of the hands of recreational users is both absurd and inhumane. Parliament has finally recognized that. This week, Health Minister Allan Rock, prodded by the Bloc Quebecois, authorized clinical trials to determine the therapeutic benefits of the drug. It shouldn't have taken decades of pleading, lobbying and covert lawbreaking on the part of doctors, caregivers and those suffering from cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and other chronic diseases to win this small show of compassion from Canada's lawmakers. It shouldn't have taken the federal government 15 months to respond to a clear signal from the courts. In December of 1997, Ontario Judge Patrick Sheppard ruled that ``it does not accord with fundamental justice to criminalize a person suffering from a serious chronic medical disability for possessing a vitally helpful substance not legally available in Canada.'' It shouldn't have taken the criminalization of sick people such as Terry Parker of Toronto, who uses marijuana to ease his epileptic seizures, or Mark Crossley of Nova Scotia, who uses the drug to cope with the headaches caused by his brain tumour, to bring about this change. Rock deserves credit for breaking the logjam. He wisely decided to set guidelines for the medical use and distribution of marijuana before allowing its widespread use. All that exists now is anedoctal evidence that it alleviates certain types of suffering. Virtually nothing is known about its side effects. The Reform party is warning that Rock is opening the door to the legalization of marijuana. The health minister denies that he has any such intention. But even if his decision leads to changes in Canada's drug laws, it would be the right thing to do. Sick people should not be punished because healthy people like smoking dope. - --- MAP posted-by: Mike Gogulski