Pubdate: Tue, 19 Aug 2003
Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB)
Copyright: 2003 The Edmonton Journal
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134
Author: Mary Vallis

PHARMACISTS MAY FILL DOCTORS' PRESCRIPTIONS

WINNIPEG - Health Minister Anne McLellan will hold preliminary discussions 
with the Canadian Pharmacists Association next month to determine whether 
its members can distribute medical marijuana.

Answering doctors' questions at the annual meeting of the Canadian Medical 
Association on Monday, McLellan said the pharmacists' group has "expressed 
some interest" in providing the dried marijuana to individuals authorized 
to use it for medical purposes. This would relieve doctors of the role of 
directly supplying medical marijuana to their patients.

In response to a court ruling forcing the federal government to supply the 
drug, McLellan last month announced a temporary plan to deliver marijuana 
to patients through doctors' offices, with physicians being used as 
"intermediaries" to give the drug to their patients. The CMA is opposed to 
the policy. Some doctors are concerned people will break into their offices 
looking for marijuana or that they will be harassed by patients.

"I clearly understand the concerns of the CMA and doctors, and that's why 
we have contacted both the CMA and the Canadian Association of 
Pharmacists," McLellan told doctors after delivering her speech.

Officials with the doctors association are still skeptical. They say there 
should be clear scientific proof of marijuana's medicinal properties before 
it is administered to patients. "We don't know whether it's safe. We don't 
know whether it's effective," Dr. Dana Hanson, president of the CMA, 
said."I'm not sure that medical marijuana would introduce any new or 
different challenges to (pharmacists or doctors)," said Greg Eberhart, 
regis trar for the Alberta College of Pharmacists.

Alberta MP Rob Merrifield, the Canadian Alliance health critic, said 
distributing the marijuana through pharmacists would not relieve doctors of 
responsibility, because they would still need to write prescriptions for a 
drug that has not been properly tested. 
- ---
MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart