Pubdate: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 Source: Sudbury Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2014 Osprey Media Contact: http://www.thesudburystar.com/letters Website: http://www.thesudburystar.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/608 Author: Carol Mulligan Page: A3 MAN GIVES UP HUNGER STRIKE But Continues Fight for Equitable Access to Medical Pot Alexander Stewart has given up his hunger strike, but he hasn't given up the fight for more equitable access to medical marijuana. At the urging of his family, Stewart, 54, ate some soup, peaches and a slice of pizza Thursday. That was exactly one week after he stopped eating to draw attention to the issue of the high cost people licensed to buy medical marijuana must pay for it. Stewart suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which halted his career as a millwright more than four years ago. Unable to work and on a disability pension, Steward can't afford the more than $ 300 an ounce it costs to purchase high-grade marijuana from growers licensed by Health Canada to produce it. Stewart quit smoking when he was diagnosed with emphysema or COPD, and has been steeping marijuana to make a tea to boost his appetite and ease his aches and pains. He's on oxygen and spends much of his time resting at his Donovan area home, but said the tea he was steeping was helping him eat and making him feel good enough to get out and go for walks. His weight plummeted 145 pounds to 106 pounds at his lowest, and rebounded to 125 pounds when he took marijuana to stimulate his appetite. When he could no longer access it, his weight dropped to 117 pounds on his 5- foot- 7 frame. Stewart wanted to hear from people in the same position he is in - legally licensed to use medical marijuana but too poor to purchase it. And he did. He heard from many people, some of whom offered him marijuana. A man who said he has been "pretty passive" most of his life, Stewart said he didn't speak out because he was looking for a handout. He wanted to draw attention to an issue many people may be unaware of. So, he thanked people for their concern and declined most of their offers. Stewart admitted he had been purchasing marijuana on the street - for less than the price charged by federally licensed growers - but he doesn't have the money to do that any more and doesn't want to purchase it illegally. Stewart said he quit his hunger fast partly because of his eight grandchildren and also because he is optimistic a Supreme Court of Canada case scheduled for February might offer some relief. Several lawsuits are challenging the federal government's overhaul of the medical marijuana system, which denies patients the right to grow medical marijuana. Many of them are claiming they have a charter right to grow pot and are arguing that new regulations that took effect in April, restricting marijuana production to licensed commercial growers, are unconstitutional. Most of those cases have been delayed until the results of the federal court case expected to be heard next year challenging the new system. The judge in that case issued an injunction allowing many patients to continue growing at home in the meantime. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom