Pubdate: Tue, 13 Nov 2001
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2001 Southam Inc.
Contact:  http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Author: Sharon Kirkey, Ottawa Citizen
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada)

PRESCRIBING MARIJUANA CALLED BAD FOR DOCTORS

Little Knowledge Of Risks

Medical marijuana may be legal, but that doesn't mean it's accessible.

Canadian doctors have been warned they could expose themselves to 
liability or professional misconduct complaints if they prescribe 
marijuana without "detailed knowledge" of the drug's risks and 
benefits as well as the appropriate dosage.

The Canadian Medical Protective Association says information about 
prescribing marijuana "simply is not available," making it nearly 
impossible for the vast majority of doctors to comply with new 
federal regulations for medicinal marijuana.

"Given the consequences ... physicians will want to be very careful 
when determining whether to assist a patient in making an application 
under these regulations," the CMPA says in a three-page information 
letter being mailed to 60,000 doctors across the country.

The insurance group represents about 95% of doctors practising in 
Canada. Dr. John Gray, its secretary treasurer and chief executive, 
said the directive means patients will likely "either have difficulty 
finding a doctor to complete the forms or difficulty accessing the 
appropriate specialists."

In a letter to Allan Rock, the federal Health Minister, the CMPA says 
the new regulations "place an unacceptable burden on member 
physicians to inform themselves as to the effectiveness of medical 
marijuana in each patient's case, as well as the relative risks and 
benefits of the drug and what dosage would be appropriate.

"This information simply is not available," Dr. Gray writes. "Given 
the fact that many physicians would not have the necessary knowledge 
about the effectiveness, risks or benefits of marijuana, we believe 
it is unreasonable to make physicians gatekeepers in this process."

The new regulations, which came into force this summer, allow 
patients with chronic or terminal illnesses to apply to Health Canada 
for permission to use marijuana.

But the CMPA warns that before doctors could agree the benefits 
outweigh the risks, as demanded by the regulations, they would need 
"detailed knowledge of the effectiveness of marijuana for the 
patient's particular condition."

In an interview, Dr. Gray said that puts most doctors "in an 
impossible situation." He said "little or no" scientific evidence 
exists about the use of medical marijuana for various medical 
conditions, or the risks to patients.

That dearth of research, he said, could leave doctors "very 
vulnerable to either a future lawsuit or a complaint to a licensing 
authority. The CMPA is urging doctors to proceed with "extreme 
caution."

It's been estimated that as many as 400,000 Canadians use marijuana 
for medical purposes.
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