Pubdate: Sat, 14 Jun 2014
Source: Windsor Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2014 The Windsor Star
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/501
Author: Douglas Quan
Page: A10
Referenced: http://mapinc.org/url/Cmo8twN6

MEDICAL POT ABUSES TO BE FOUGHT

Canada's health regulator is proposing new rules to prevent abuse of
the medical marijuana system by patients and doctors.

Health Canada is proposing that licensed commercial medical marijuana
suppliers be required to periodically hand over to provincial
authorities records showing the names of doctors who have authorized
marijuana use, as well as basic information about their patients,
including the quantities prescribed to them and period of use.

These measures, officials say, will help to monitor for and prevent
doctors from prescribing "high dosages" and patients from going to
more than one doctor to get prescriptions ("double doctoring") or
going to more than one producer.

According to Health Canada, dried marijuana, like other narcotics used
for medical purposes, "is susceptible to misuse and abuse," which is
why more oversight is needed.

Officials say the proposed rules are in keeping with existing
provincial and territorial prescription-monitoring programs for
controlled substances.

John Conroy, a B.C. lawyer who has represented medical-marijuana
patients, said Friday while it appears federal regulators are trying
to bring medical marijuana in line with other prescribed drugs in
terms of record-keeping, he worries the rules could "further dampen or
add to the reluctance on the part of doctors to authorize or
prescribe" marijuana.

And unlike other controlled substances, marijuana doesn't have a
"lethal dose," so the concerns about abuse aren't as serious, he said.

Under the proposed rules, licensed marijuana producers would have to
submit the required information to provincial medical-licensing
authorities on a semi-annual basis. Health Canada anticipates the cost
to the industry to prepare and send the records would be about
$423,000 annually or almost $3 million over the next decade.

"This is simply reporting that will reflect that doctors are doing
things the right way," said Dr. John Gillis, chief medical adviser to
Tweed Marijuana Inc. "We want to do things by the book." As of Friday,
there were 13 licensed companies, according to the Health Canada website.

Ever since Canada allowed people with serious illness access to
marijuana for medical use in 2001, the number of users has ballooned
to almost 40,000. The public has until July 13 to tell Health Canada
what it thinks about the proposed rules.
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MAP posted-by: Matt