Pubdate: Tue, 07 Aug 2001
Source: Montreal Gazette (CN QU)
Copyright: 2001 The Gazette, a division of Southam Inc.
Contact:  http://www.montrealgazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/274
Author: Al Rhino Feldman

POT THREATENS PHARMACEUTICAL FIRMS

Letter to the Editor

Health Minister Allan Rock announces clinical trials of medicinal marijuana 
in March 1999.

Eugene Oscapella points out that medical practitioners have long had 
access, through the Special Access Program, to non-marketed drugs prior to 
the completion of clinical trials and questions the Canadian Medical 
Association's recent protests that medicinal-marijuana legislation is 
premature (Letters, Aug. 4). However, Mr. Oscapella misses a significant 
difference between marijuana and drugs available through the SAP.

The latter are generally produced by multinational pharmaceutical companies 
at great expense while marijuana is easily grown, with no complex 
manufacturing process. This not only makes it difficult for the 
pharmaceutical industry to control its production and distribution but may 
also present a competitive threat to the industry's existing and future 
chemical products.

Eventually, the industry will figure out how to put the active properties 
of marijuana into a pill, at which time the CMA's members will prescribe it 
under the Special Access Program until clinical trials are quickly 
completed and the product is brought to market.

Of course, this requires that the plant remain illegal. In Canada, this is 
called serving the public interest.

Al Rhino Feldman

Montreal
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