Pubdate: Sat, 15 May 2010
Source: Times & Transcript (Moncton, CN NK)
Copyright: 2010 New Brunswick Publishing Company
Contact: http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/onsite.php?page=contact#B
Website: http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2660
Page: A11
Author: Nick Moore

N.B. DOCTORS OPEN TO POT

Province Ranks Fourth Per Capita In Country For Number Of People 
Authorized To Possess Medical Marijuana

FREDERICTON - New Brunswick has some of Canada's more  pot-friendly 
physicians, and a national group says they  expect even more 
provincial doctors to be writing dope  prescriptions in the year to come.

The latest numbers from Health Canada and the Canadian  Institute for 
Health Information suggest that about  three per cent of New 
Brunswick's 1,447 physicians  support the current authorization for 
patients to have  possession of marijuana for medical purposes.

Nova Scotia leads all provinces and territories in  physicians who 
support medical marijuana use, with 7.2  per cent.

Nova Scotia also led all provinces, per capita, in the  number of 
people authorized to posses medical  marijuana. New Brunswick ranked 
fourth per capita with  88 people who have that legal authorization 
as of June  2009.

The website medicalmarijuana.ca, an online resource  cited by 
national health groups in bringing together  patients and doctors, 
say they only expect the number  of pot prescriptions to grow.

"It's kind of a quiet program but it's becoming more  mainstream," 
said Chad Clelland, director of online and  community relations for 
the online site. "It's a bit of  a snowballing effect.

"I think numbers are going to climb dramatically for  new 
applications. It's probably acceptance from the  doctors having seen 
benefits from the program."

The medical marijuana program is authorized by the  federal 
government and is meant for patients in the  treatment of chronic 
pain and debilitating illnesses.

There are two symptom categories for which patients can  apply to for 
program consideration.

Category one is for symptoms of specific medical  conditions 
(including multiple sclerosis, spinal cord  injuries or diseases, 
cancer, HIV/AIDS, severe  arthritis and epilepsy), and for when these 
medical  conditions lead to end-of-life care.

Category two is for patients of any other debilitating  disease, who 
must get a diagnosis confirmed by a  specialist with the suggestion 
that other  pharmaceutical treatments aren't working for  treatments.

"If (a doctor's) patient has gone through regular  avenues and finds 
that marijuana helps them, the  physician is a lot more open to it," 
said Clelland. The  physicians themselves are determining the 
program's  growth, said Clelland, who added that patients are also 
stepping forward to initiate a conversation with their  doctors about it.

"It takes patients going in to say, 'I use marijuana,  and this is 
what works best for me,'" he said. "It's up  to the doctors to decide 
if they're going to help them  use it legally or not."

The New Brunswick Medical Society, which represents the  province's 
fee-for-service physicians, didn't return  calls for comment on this story.

Health Canada says it's important that any discussion  about medical 
marijuana isn't confused with a  discussion about legalizing general 
marijuana use.

Health Canada says possession of pot without a medical  pass is a 
criminal offence, and that any pot used for  medical use must be 
approved by the federal government.

Medical pot patients are given the choice of purchasing  dried 
marijuana and/or getting the seeds to grow it  themselves.

Health Canada suggests most individuals use an average  daily amount 
of one gram to three grams of dried  marijuana for medical purposes, 
whether it's taken  orally, inhaled or both.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart