Pubdate: Thu, 30 Jun 2011
Source: Belleville EMC (CN ON)
Contact:  2011 Belleville EMC
Website: http://www.emcbelleville.ca/home
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5267
Author: Al Graham

PROPOSED MARIJUANA REGULATIONS WILL HURT NOT HELP

Dear Editor,

The Canadian government's proposed changes to the medical marijuana 
regulations are not an improvement for sick and dying Canadians as 
they claim. Instead, it will actually affect many who presently have 
access to their medication for the cost of growing it who will no 
longer be able to do so. The only part of this proposal that makes 
things easier for sick Canadians to access their medication, is that 
they will no longer have to request a licence from the government, 
instead they will receive a prescription from their doctor that you 
will take to a commercial business, much like people do with 
pharmaceuticals. The cost of growing one's medication can be as low 
as $100 per month, which is much less than a person having to pay the 
commercial price of $1,500 a month or up to $18,000 a year for the 
same amount of medication that a person can grow for $1,200. 
Unfortunately, the new regulations do not mention anything about 
medical coverage for patients who cannot pay the commerc! ial price. 
This will force patients to take the government to court to fight for 
their right to affordable medication instead of being forced to go 
without it or forced onto addictive narcotic painkillers.

Courts in other provinces have forced provincial governments to cover 
the cost of people's therapeutic cannabis. Here in Ontario those who 
cannot afford to pay for this medication will be requesting that ODSP 
and Trillium start to allow for special coverage for the cannabis, 
just as they do presently for other drugs. This will increase the 
cost to our health care system.

The government is accusing sick Canadians of being involved in 
organized crime and abusing the program with this decision. Is it 
right that so many lose out because of the few who don't follow the 
rules? If, as they say, this is why they are removing the growing 
licences, then why are pharmaceuticals companies still allowed to 
make pills. Our communities are filled with illegal pharmaceuticals 
on the street as Ontario has a $50-million oxy-cotin and Percocet 
addiction problem, yet no one seems to be attacking the suppliers of 
these harmful addictive drugs. We're taught not to paint everyone 
with the same brush and that people are different, meanwhile our 
government is accusing all sick and dying cannabis using Canadians of 
supplying organized crime.

The government loves to create fear. You can read it throughout the 
regulations and it's even in the title. Mr. Norlock even reminds 
voters about the situation in Port Hope. That situation in Port Hope, 
a large licensed commercial size location, is exactly what these new 
regulations will create.

This regulation has been found unconstitutional several times, 
including this spring. In the most recent case, the judged ruled that 
the government had 90 days to improve it or cannabis would be legal 
come mid-July. That ruling has now been stayed by the Ontario 
Superior Court and will be heard by the Ontario's Appeal Court 
sometime this fall.

Back in around 2003 the government did not meet the requirements of a 
court ruling and cannabis was actually legal for 18 months. These 
rules etc. are "regulations" and are not law. A law would require the 
government to pass it before parliament and these regulations have 
never been before parliament to become law.

The taxation and regulation of cannabis would go a long way to making 
our communities much safer than prohibition ever will. It would 
create jobs, create money through the collection of taxes from sales 
and the employment it creates. It would create a new crop for farmers 
to grow since it will grow in almost any soil. It could be used as 
bio mass fuel, save trees and reduce the strain on our health care 
system. Instead Canadians are now involved in the United States' war 
against cannabis where they spend $60 billion a year fighting drugs. 
The number of Americans behind bars in 2009 in federal, state and 
local prisons and jails was 2.5 million or one in every 99.1 adults, 
the highest incarceration rate in the world. Cannabis has over 200 
health benefits and over 50,000 uses but yet it's more dangerous than 
asbestos in this government's eyes. As Canadians put more money into 
jails and enforcement and less into schools and social programs for 
skills for children, you will see w! hy places like Texas have built 
77 jails to one school.

In the end this looks to me to be a more of the public fear campaign 
on the backs of sick and dying Canadians.

Al Graham,

People Advocating

Cannabis Education,

Campbellford
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom