Pubdate: Thu, 27 Dec 2012 Source: Record, The (Kitchener, CN ON) Copyright: 2012 Metroland Media Group Ltd. Contact: http://news.therecord.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/225 STRIKING A BALANCE ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA When the federal government gets out of the medical marijuana business, which it intends to do by 2014 after seeing new guidelines in place by next March 31, expect Rade Kovacevic to be among the first to apply for a licence as a regulated commercial producer. Kovacevic is the founder and operator of the Medical Cannabis Centre of Guelph, a community dispensary of medicinal pot that could be granted such a licence, and the operators of numerous other such dispensaries across Canada are likely to follow suit. And why wouldn't they? These dispensaries, that are also known as cannabis compassion clubs and whose operators have Health Canada permits that allow them to grow marijuana for therapeutic use, are already significant players in the field of medical marijuana use in Canada. Operating in a legal grey area in terms of law enforcement that has existed since Health Canada approved the use of medical marijuana in this country a decade ago, these dispensaries service more than 50 per cent of the 26,000 approved patients in the government's current medical marijuana access program, says Kovacevic, who is also president of the Canadian Association of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries. Under the new government plan, outlined Dec. 16 by Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, current provisions will be dispensed with. Those provisions allow participants with Health Canada permits to either grow medical marijuana in their homes with seeds acquired from the government-sanctioned firm that produces it for the Health Ministry, buy it from another approved participant who grows it, or purchase it from that government producer. Instead, patients whose current permits would expire, will find themselves following a prescription regimen, similar to that used for prescribed narcotics. With a doctor's -- or under the proposed changes a nurse practitioner's -- prescription in hand, a patient would head to a licensed producer to acquire marijuana. Aglukkaq -- who is already receiving feedback pro and con on this move, including participants who are incensed that their right to grow pot at home will be taken away -- says with the rule changes, commercial businesses that will be granted licences to produce medical marijuana will have to meet strict security requirements. The federal government cites many reasons for abandoning the current program, which began in 2002, not the least of these being the astronomical increase in the number of patients approved for the program. That number has risen from less than 500 a decade ago to more than 26,000 today. It's no wonder Aglukkaq calls the skyrocketing costs associated with that rapid growth "unsustainable." Cheering the government's decision are police departments and firefighters, who are understandably concerned that some program participants have thwarted the rules, growing more marijuana than they need for their personal use and in essence are operating illegal marijuana grow operations, often in residential areas. Jeering it is the Canadian Medical Association and the Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada, who say doctors will face an undue burden when it comes to prescribing medical marijuana without having vital information about a patient that would allow them to gauge proper dosage, possible side-effects and drug interactions, among other concerns. There are also those who wonder what other commercial businesses will now enter the marijuana production field. Falling in the middle are people like Kovacevic who see positives in the move, but also have real concerns about affordability. Under the current, taxpayer-subsidized government program, the cost of a gram of marijuana bought from that government-sanctioned producer costs participants from $1.80 to $5 a gram. With the subsidy removed and home-grows phased out, the cost of buying from a licensed producer will rise to $8.80 a gram, which could be prohibitive to users with serious illnesses such as multiple sclerosis who are on a disability pension. This is where provincial governments could lend a hand to their federal counterparts by seriously considering including coverage of doctor-prescribed, medical marijuana in their provincial health plans. Canadians appear to have accepted, on compassionate grounds, that there's a need for medical marijuana for those with chronic health conditions. In an effort to balance competing concerns, the direction outlined by the federal health minister is an inviting course. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom