Pubdate: Wed, 24 Oct 2012
Source: Tribune, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2012, Osprey Media Group Inc.
Contact: http://www.wellandtribune.ca/feedback1/LetterToEditor.aspx
Website: http://www.wellandtribune.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2807
Author: Adam Greenblatt

MEDICAL CANNABIS UNDER-PRESCRIBED

Re: Too many patients going to pot, Oct. 18

Dr. Pran Kundi is incorrect when he says medical marijuana is being 
over-prescribed. It is, in fact, grossly under-prescribed.

Surveys put the number of Canadians using cannabis for medical 
purposes at 400,000. Yet only 25,000 have been authorized by Health 
Canada, leaving the large majority of this patient population 
vulnerable to criminal sanctions, discrimination, and other risks 
associated with accessing black market medicine.

Dr. Kundi's assertion that cannabis should be prescribed only in the 
context of a terminal illness is a very common and harmful 
misperception. Cannabis is a versatile medicinal plant that is 
commonly used in the treatment of a wide-range of medical conditions: 
from severe illnesses such as Multiple Sclerosis, HIV and cancer, to 
more general symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

Dr. Kundi's concerns about smoking, impaired driving, and people 
"sneaking in" to the medical marijuana program are valid; but they 
overshadow the side-effects of an unpopular prohibition, and a 
government program which has consistently failed to meet the needs of 
the Canadians it purports to serve.

Adam Greenblatt

Executive Director, Medical Cannabis Access Society
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom