Pubdate: Mon, 06 Jul 2015
Source: StarPhoenix, The (CN SN)
Copyright: 2015 The StarPhoenix
Contact: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/400
Author: Lucas Richert
Note: Richert is a sessional lecturer at the University of 
Saskatchewan and the author of Conservatism, Consumer Choice, and the 
Food and Drug Administration during the Reagan Era: A Prescription 
for Scandal.
Page: A6

PROVINCE CAUGHT IN MIDDLE OF POT PREDICAMENT

It has become clear in the past few months that we're in the midst of 
a pot predicament. And Saskatchewan citizens, health authorities and 
elected representatives have a lot to ponder.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled on June 11 that Canadians with a 
valid prescription could consume medical marijuana in other ways 
besides just a dried form.

In short, the court enlarged the definition of medical marijuana, 
meaning that legal restrictions on extracts and derivatives are now 
gone, and brownies, cookies, teas, chocolate bars and shakes, among 
various other products, are no longer illegal.

The Canadian government wasn't pleased. Federal Health Minister Rona 
Ambrose scolded the Supreme Court and told the press that she was 
"outraged" by the ruling.

"Let's remember, there's only one authority in Canada that has the 
authority and the expertise to make a drug into a medicine and that's 
Health Canada," she said during a news conference.

Ambrose also asserted that the court's decision "normalizes" medical 
marijuana, something that she and the Conservative government would 
continue to fight. This response isn't a surprise. Ambrose has been 
at the forefront of the Conservatives' anti-drug strategy, and the 
court ruling could be interpreted as a rebuke of the Tories' approach.

Yet, barely a year ago, it was the Conservative Party and Health 
Canada that introduced the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations 
(MMPR), which was intended to provide reasonable access to pot and 
required patients to buy medical marijuana from licensed producers.

With this, medical marijuana was officially opened for business. And 
the new rules generated a craze as dozens of new entrants jumped into 
the marketplace.

Thus, Ambrose has strangely castigated the Supreme Court decision to 
expand the meaning of medical cannabis even as the Conservative 
government has promoted the commercialization of marijuana within the 
health sector.

Then, on June 23 - about two weeks after the court decision - the 
first Health Canada-approved clinical trial of medical marijuana 
began patient recruitment in Saskatchewan. The trial, which studies 
osteoarthritis, is being run by CanniMed, a Saskatoon-based company.

Brent Zettl, the president and CEO of Prairie Plant Systems that owns 
CanniMed, said: "In order for medical cannabis to become a true 
medicine, it requires carefully conducted trials to provide hard data."

The following day, it was announced that Bedrocan and Tweed 
Marijuana, two of Canada's largest medical marijuana firms, would 
amalgamate in a roughly $60-million deal. Bedrocan has strengths in 
clinical research, while Tweed's consumer-oriented assets made the 
deal a good fit.

As reported by the National Post, the merger was a "game changer" and 
would create a "dominant domestic player and reshape the fledgling industry."

Still, even as the industry blooms, the medical establishment in 
Canada continues to grapple with the stigmatization and lack of 
evidence surrounding cannabis. At the 147th annual meeting of the 
Canadian Medical Association in Ottawa last August, many doctors 
expressed serious reservations about prescribing marijuana.

Some doctors said they felt threatened or intimidated into signing 
prescriptions, whereas others felt as though patients were shopping 
for doctors. Worst of all, there were reported cases of malfeasance, 
where doctors charged patients a fee for a prescription.

The result of this is that the CMA remains divided over - if not 
outright opposed to - being the gatekeeper of medical marijuana.

When added up, these mixed messages from all sectors of society 
amount to a massive question mark. And one can excuse the general 
public for being a little confused.

Combined with student Michael Wileniec's groundbreaking human rights 
complaint about being denied medical marijuana at Nutana Collegiate, 
it appears Saskatchewan has a number of firsts, meaning its people 
have much to contemplate.

As the federal election in the fall grows nearer, the cannabis issue 
- - and the use of pot in the medical marketplace - will surely become 
heightened. The Liberals, led by Justin Trudeau, have advocated an 
evidence-based approach to marijuana and are promoting its 
legalization and controlling access.

Here in Saskatchewan, though, the government must weigh the national 
picture and take into consideration consumer protection and drug 
regulation, commercial considerations and its responsibility to 
protect citizens from shady businesses, including dispensaries and head shops.

Instead of simplifying the issue, the Supreme Court's decision, along 
with a number of other changes, has complicated our pot predicament.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom