Pubdate: Mon, 17 Dec 2012
Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2012 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/letters.html
Website: http://www.calgaryherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66
Author: Natalie Stechyson

MEDICAL POT PLAN CONCERNS PHYSICIANS

The federal government's proposed changes to the medical marijuana
program would leave Canada's doctors in the lurch, dumping onto
physicians the responsibility for a substance with very little
clinical study, says the head of the Canadian Medical
Association.

Health Canada announced Sunday it plans to change the way that people
access medical marijuana, taking itself out of the production and
distribution of the substance and opening up the commercial market to
companies that meet "strict security requirements."

The concern is that physicians are now going to be asked to be the
sole gatekeepers to the drug, Dr. Anna Reid, president of the Canadian
Medical Association, told Postmedia News.

"There haven't been any studies saying these are the risks versus the
benefits," Reid said. "And we know there are risks. There are risks of
psychosis. There are risks of problems with your lungs because you
smoke it," Reid said.

"We also know anecdotally that there are perceived benefits in terms
of nausea and pain. But we don't know what the balance is."

According to Health Canada, there are currently more than 26,000
people in the Marijuana Medical Access Program. There were only 477
enrolled in the program in 2002.

The changes announced Sunday aim to treat marijuana like any other
narcotic used for medical purposes - patients can purchase the
appropriate amount from a licensed vendor as long as they have a
signed medical document, similar to a prescription, from a health-care
practitioner.

It would also mean production can no longer take place in private
homes, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said in a news conference in
Vancouver. "Current medical marijuana regulations have left the system
open to abuse," she said in a statement.

"We have heard real concerns from law enforcement, fire officials and
municipalities about how people are hiding behind these rules to
conduct illegal activity, and putting health and safety of Canadians
at risk. These changes will make it far more difficult for people to
game the system."

The new system would also cut red tape, striking the "right balance"
between patient access and public safety, Aglukkaq said.

Physicians are acutely aware that there aren't enough adequate ways to
treat chronic pain, but would like to see more research done on
medical marijuana, Reid said.

"If something goes wrong, we're the ones responsible and our No. 1
concern as physicians is for the safety of our patients," Reid said.

The Canadian Association of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries said in a
statement Sunday that its members were worried about the quality of
patient care under the proposed regulations.

"CAMCD remains concerned that patients will continue facing barriers
to access," said president Rade Kovacevic.

"Affordability remains unaddressed, medical associations remain
reluctant to endorse the government program, and there are no
provisions for non-smoking alternatives such as baked goods and tinctures."

The government intends to implement the new system by March 31, 2014.
Health Canada has a 75-day comment period and will receive comments
until the end of February 2013. 
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