Pubdate: Fri, 26 Dec 2014
Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB)
Page: A16
Copyright: 2014 The Edmonton Journal
Contact: 
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/letters/letters-to-the-editor.html
Website: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134
Author: James Keller

MEDICAL POT REGIME BESIEGED BY BUREAUCRACY

Users Complain Of Shortages While Would-Be Growers Wait For
Licences

VANCOUVER - Shaun Simpson has had a migraine headache for the past
seven years..

His medical problems started with surgery to remove a piece of his
skull that was pressing against his brain. The procedure left him with
a spinal-fluid leak, which, in turn, fuels a near-constant headache.

For years, Simpson took a dozen or more Tylenol 3 pills a day, but
they caused unpleasant side-effects and weren't completely effective.

About 2-1/2 years ago, he received a prescription for medical
marijuana, which he ordered from Health Canada.

"I don't feel like I'm drugged out or stoned (like I did with) the
Tylenol 3; I'm actually more active and social," says Simpson, 34, who
works as a photographer in the Maritimes. "It's really changed my life
as far as day-to-day routine goes."

Simpson is among tens of thousands of Canadians who have used medical
marijuana legally since 2001, and, like many of those patients, he was
forced earlier this year to adjust to a massive overhaul of the system.

The federal government implemented new rules prohibiting patients from
growing their own pot and instead restricting production and sale to a
new collection of licensed commercial operations.

But the system has been beset by complaints of low supply and high
prices. Some commercial producers have long waiting lists and are
plagued by frequent sellouts, and approvals for new operations to fill
the gap have been slow.

Simpson initially signed up for Toronto-based Mettrum, but he said the
company was often sold out of the strain he needed. He is now on the
waiting list for Organi-Gram, based in Moncton, N.B., and in the
meantime he's been using grey market marijuana dispensaries.

Ottawa introduced the previous medical marijuana regime following a
court decision in 2000 that ordered it to provide access to the drug.
About 38,000 patients received authorizations under that system, most
of whom either chose to grow at home or asked someone else to grow it
for them. Several thousand bought directly from Health Canada, which
sold a single strain for $5 a gram.

The previous regime was repealed on March 31 of this year, leaving
fledging commercial producers the only official option. However, a
Federal Court judge issued an injunction that has allowed many
patients to continue growing their own until a trial examining the
updated rules in the new year.

There are currently 15 companies licensed to produce and sell medical
marijuana; eight others are licensed to produce but not to sell.

Prospective suppliers must meet a list of strict conditions, including
rigorous security requirements and measures to control odours.

Denis Arsenault, CEO of Organi-Gram, says the regulations have mostly
been working well. He said he understands the need for security and
inspections.

"It's been a very good experience; when they come in to do their
inspections, it's very clear they want us to succeed," says Arsenault.

Organi-Gram has a wait list for new patients, but Arsenault says the
company hopes to eliminate that soon.

Health Canada says about 13,700 patients were registered under the new
system as of Oct. 31. That's an increase from about 5,100 in April and
almost 8,000 in June.

Patients with a doctor's prescription place their orders directly with
the licensed producer of their choice. The program is limited to dried
marijuana; producers cannot sell other forms of pot, such as edible
products or oils.

Costs range from as low as $2.50 per gram to as high as $15, depending
on the producer and the strain, but most are between $8 and $10.

Those grams have added up: Health Canada says 1,400 kilograms - or 1.4
million grams - were sold by licensed producers between Jan. 1 and
Oct. 31.

There have only been three new licences to sell marijuana issued since
the summer, the most recent being Mari-Cann, located in southern
Ontario, which was added in early December.

As of Nov. 24, there were 301 applications still being assessed by
Health Canada. Of those, 13 were awaiting a pre-licence inspection -
the final step before being approved.

Sundial Growers, which wants to produce medical marijuana near
Airdrie, just north of Calgary, is in the queue.

Company president Stan Swiatek says he asked Health Canada for a final
inspection in May. He has received a few requests for more
information, but so far no one from the department has shown up and he
has no idea when they will.

"It's just sort of random - they arbitrarily decide which
(application) to deal with," says Swiatek, a former cucumber grower.
"The reality is, we just have to sit and wait."

Health Canada says it does not track waiting lists at individual
producers, though the department says there is adequate supply across
the entire system.

In October, for example, commercial growers produced 450 kilograms of
marijuana, while only 240 kilograms were sold, the department says.

The federal government's comments on the issue have largely been
limited to pointing out marijuana is not an approved medical treatment.

The government discourages anyone from consuming marijuana and points
out it only allows medical cannabis because it was forced to by the
courts.

Health Minister Rona Ambrose did not make herself available for an
interview, but her office issued a written statement that repeated the
government's previous statements.  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D