Pubdate: Wed, 23 Mar 2011 Source: Langley Times (CN BC) Copyright: 2011 Langley Times Contact: http://www.langleytimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1230 Author: Carl Anderson Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n175/a02.html?1308 MEDICINAL MARIJUANA WORKS WELL WITH PATIENTS Editor: You left a few important facts out of your anti-medpot editorial "Government approved headache," (The Times, March 16). First, and most important, is that weed works. Many people across this country are coming to the realization that medical cannabis is a safe, affordable, healthy alternative to toxic synthetic pharmaceutical drugs which can damage organs and can have severe and sometimes fatal side effects. Second, the government of Canada did not "reluctantly agree" to allow citizens to use medical cannabis. It was forced to by the Supreme Court of Canada after the pot laws were repealed temporarily in 2001.The only reason it created the medicinal marijuana program was to maintain the status quo on cannabis prohibition by allowing limited access to medical cannabis, to the sick. Finally, the main reason why medical cannabis is being grown throughout our communities is because the federal government only allows a very limited number of growing permits per address. This makes it difficult for producers to start cheaply producing large quantities of quality organic cannabis on rural properties in greenhouses for large numbers of sick Canadians. The government is creating a very large market and not allowing anyone to fill the demand with the exception of Prairie Plant Systems, who only grow one strain of expensive, weak, irradiated, pulverised product that no one seems to want. As a long-term user and producer of medical cannabis, I would recommend that Langley look at a production and distribution model that will eventually cure the problem of urban medical marijuana growing. Carl Anderson, executive director, Canadian Safe Cannabis Society - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.