somasociety
TRIBE Member
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POSTED AT 2:27 PM EDT Monday, April 22
Marijuana activists incensed
By ALLISON DUNFIELD
Globe and Mail Update
Marijuana activists expressed their anger Monday that the first shipment of medicinal cannabis from the government has been delayed.
In December, former health-minister Allan Rock announced a medicinal marijuana program that would put the drug in the hands of those with special permits allowing them to use it to alleviate symptoms of everything from cancer to back pain to depression.
The Globe and Mail reported Monday, however, that Health Canada officials have not sent the first shipment of the drug — grown and being stored in northern Manitoba — even though 250 kilograms have been processed and are ready for the 798 people who have been approved to possess marijuana for medicinal purposes.
"People who are sick and dying are desperately waiting for this. It's really horrible." said Marc-Boris St-Maurice of the Marijuana Party of Canada.
Mr. St-Maurice told globeandmail.com that the situation puts people in a no-win situation where they must acquire their marijuana illegally or suffer.
"People are getting it, but they're doing it illegally," Mr. St-Maurice said.
Federal officials are still working out crucial details about how to run the program, announced more than a year ago. Among the questions is whether medicinal marijuana should be subject to the same premarket screening and regulations as any other pharmaceutical drug before it reaches patients.
Health Canada is not providing a timetable for when the drug will be available.
Marijuana activists say even those who go through the procedure of acquiring a permit — which now means they must have the recommendations of two specialists — are finding that it is taking a long time for the permit information to be processed by the government.
The president and founder of Cannabis as Living Medicine (CALM), who goes by the name Neev, said that of the group's nearly 500 members in Canada, 10 per cent have licences to possess marijuana, and another 5 per cent have their applications in.
But he said even those who possess a licence have to access the drug illegally because they are not receiving legal shipments from the government yet.
"I think this is just one more example of the House of Commons failing Canadians in terms of its reluctance to regulate medications and to make sure medications are available to people in a timely way," said Glen Hillson, chairman of the B.C. Persons with AIDs Society. "It's another example of where important medicine is being withheld from people because the House of Commons can't seem to get it to people who need it."
Mr. Hillson said people can obtain it by other means, such as by compassion clubs across Canada, but if they are acquiring it on the streets they could be putting their lives at risk.
As well, Canadians needing marijuana for medicinal purposes who live in remote areas may have even greater difficulty accessing it and may be forced to grow their own, also facing prosecution, Mr. Hillson said.
A private members bill introduced by Canadian Alliance MP Keith Martin last week that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana was shut down after the Prime Minister introduced an amendment preventing the House from voting on it at its second reading.
Mr. Martin told globeandmail.com that he will not try to introduce another bill even though he believes strongly that those who need marijuana to alleviate pain should have access to it.
When the Liberals introduced the amendment last Wednesday, Mr. Martin shouted "Parliament is not a democracy any more," and lifted the Speaker's Mace, a gross breach of Commons procedure.
"What I was trying to do by lifting the Mace was drawing attention to the fact that we as MPs can't do our jobs because parliamentarians are dictated by the Prime Minister's office. They are voting machines," Mr. Martin said,
Mr. Martin faces disciplinary action Monday afternoon in the House. He could be charged with of gross contempt of Parliament and could be called to the bar of the House of Commons for an exceptional reprimand by Peter Milliken, the House Speaker.
He said he does not believe the government's plan to ship medicinal marijuana is valid.
"The government's medicinal marijuana plan is a political ploy. It was done to curry political points."
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet...ve=RTGAM&site=Front&ad_page_name=breakingnews
POSTED AT 2:27 PM EDT Monday, April 22
Marijuana activists incensed
By ALLISON DUNFIELD
Globe and Mail Update
Marijuana activists expressed their anger Monday that the first shipment of medicinal cannabis from the government has been delayed.
In December, former health-minister Allan Rock announced a medicinal marijuana program that would put the drug in the hands of those with special permits allowing them to use it to alleviate symptoms of everything from cancer to back pain to depression.
The Globe and Mail reported Monday, however, that Health Canada officials have not sent the first shipment of the drug — grown and being stored in northern Manitoba — even though 250 kilograms have been processed and are ready for the 798 people who have been approved to possess marijuana for medicinal purposes.
"People who are sick and dying are desperately waiting for this. It's really horrible." said Marc-Boris St-Maurice of the Marijuana Party of Canada.
Mr. St-Maurice told globeandmail.com that the situation puts people in a no-win situation where they must acquire their marijuana illegally or suffer.
"People are getting it, but they're doing it illegally," Mr. St-Maurice said.
Federal officials are still working out crucial details about how to run the program, announced more than a year ago. Among the questions is whether medicinal marijuana should be subject to the same premarket screening and regulations as any other pharmaceutical drug before it reaches patients.
Health Canada is not providing a timetable for when the drug will be available.
Marijuana activists say even those who go through the procedure of acquiring a permit — which now means they must have the recommendations of two specialists — are finding that it is taking a long time for the permit information to be processed by the government.
The president and founder of Cannabis as Living Medicine (CALM), who goes by the name Neev, said that of the group's nearly 500 members in Canada, 10 per cent have licences to possess marijuana, and another 5 per cent have their applications in.
But he said even those who possess a licence have to access the drug illegally because they are not receiving legal shipments from the government yet.
"I think this is just one more example of the House of Commons failing Canadians in terms of its reluctance to regulate medications and to make sure medications are available to people in a timely way," said Glen Hillson, chairman of the B.C. Persons with AIDs Society. "It's another example of where important medicine is being withheld from people because the House of Commons can't seem to get it to people who need it."
Mr. Hillson said people can obtain it by other means, such as by compassion clubs across Canada, but if they are acquiring it on the streets they could be putting their lives at risk.
As well, Canadians needing marijuana for medicinal purposes who live in remote areas may have even greater difficulty accessing it and may be forced to grow their own, also facing prosecution, Mr. Hillson said.
A private members bill introduced by Canadian Alliance MP Keith Martin last week that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana was shut down after the Prime Minister introduced an amendment preventing the House from voting on it at its second reading.
Mr. Martin told globeandmail.com that he will not try to introduce another bill even though he believes strongly that those who need marijuana to alleviate pain should have access to it.
When the Liberals introduced the amendment last Wednesday, Mr. Martin shouted "Parliament is not a democracy any more," and lifted the Speaker's Mace, a gross breach of Commons procedure.
"What I was trying to do by lifting the Mace was drawing attention to the fact that we as MPs can't do our jobs because parliamentarians are dictated by the Prime Minister's office. They are voting machines," Mr. Martin said,
Mr. Martin faces disciplinary action Monday afternoon in the House. He could be charged with of gross contempt of Parliament and could be called to the bar of the House of Commons for an exceptional reprimand by Peter Milliken, the House Speaker.
He said he does not believe the government's plan to ship medicinal marijuana is valid.
"The government's medicinal marijuana plan is a political ploy. It was done to curry political points."
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet...ve=RTGAM&site=Front&ad_page_name=breakingnews
