Pubdate: Wed, 20 Jan 2016
Source: Moose Jaw Times-Herald (CN SN)
Copyright: 2016 The Moose Jaw Times-Herald Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.mjtimes.sk.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2154
Author: Theresa Simon-Worobec
Page: A1

To conclude our series of stories about Moose Jaw man Chris Kuntz's
use of prescribed marijuana, Part III tackles the current state of
marijuana use in Canada.

THE QUESTION OF LEGALIZATION

Marijuana has been in the news ever since the Liberal government made
promises to make "real changes" towards legalization of the
controversial drug.

Stated on the Liberal website, the official party position is that
"Canada's current system of marijuana prohibition does not work."

While recreational use of marijuana is still strictly prohibited,
doctors have prescribed medical marijuana for some time. Recently, and
contrary to federal law, medical marijuana dispensaries have been
popping up across the country. This past summer, Vancouver was the
first city in Canada to regulate medical dispensaries in the city,
despite being technically illegal and drawing criticism from former
health minister and interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose.

Closer to home, Saskatchewan medical marijuana users have made news
with the raid and seizure of merchandise at the Saskatoon Compassion
Club (SCC), a medical marijuana dispensary in that city. Four members
of the SCC were subsequently charged with trafficking and other
criminal offences.

It's a decision that Moose Jaw Chief of Police Rick Bourassa said
would not have been taken lightly by the Saskatoon City Police.

"Discretion is really a fundamental part of policing in Canada,"
Bourassa said. "We try to find that middle ground. When we do have a
complaint or information about something, one of the first things we
do is gather the facts. If the activity continues, and it is
prohibited by law, then there is the expectation that we step in and
proceed with charges, contingent on the evidence that we have. They're
always tough, tough choices, and a lot of times the police are being
criticized for acting, and at the same time, there will be as many
people criticizing if we choose not to act."

But as public opinion changes, police forces in Vancouver, Toronto,
Montreal, and elsewhere are allowing the dispensaries to remain in
business. For Chris Kuntz and others, the decision to prevent patients
with medical prescriptions from accessing affordable medication comes
down to a moral issue.

"I'm not pro-drug," said Kuntz. "But at the same time, the war on
drugs is not working. It's obvious. What's happening to me and others
is wrong."

As Bourassa stated, "It's a complex issue."

Despite countless accounts of anecdotal evidence to support the use of
marijuana for medicinal purposes, information available online and
elsewhere offers little clarity into the truth of the matter. The
Canadian Medical Association, (CMA) states on its website that further
research is needed before full support of the medicine can be issued.

"The CM A still believes there is insufficient scientific evidence
available to support the use of marijuana for clinical purposes. It
also believes there is insufficient evidence on clinical risks and
benefits, including the proper dosage of marijuana to be used and on
the potential interactions between this drug and other
medications."

Yet another patient, a woman in Moose Jaw, said that she has been
prescribed medical marijuana for pain caused by broken vertebrae in
her lower back and arthritis. Like Kuntz, she said she has experienced
a major change in her physical and mental health since beginning the
use of prescribed medical marijuana last March.

"I have arthritis throughout my joints and it actually worked better
than anything else, reduced swelling and pain," said the woman, who
wished to remain anonymous. "With my back the way it is, I 'm kind of
housebound. It allows me to actually do stuff. I can still do some
housework and cooking, baking, things like that. It was a huge relief
for my husband watching me use it because I was turning into a
different person because of the pain."

The woman went on to say that she believes she would make "the perfect
advocate" for the use of medical marijuana, given that she's in her
50s, she's ex-military, and is "not looking to just go out and party."
Yet because of the persisting stigma, she feels forced into remaining
anonymous.

"I've said I'm more than willing to advocate, but my problem is that I
have to stay anonymous. The biggest problem for me is that my husband
works on the base. We're concerned that they 're going to fire him if
they find out, and we're not in a position that we can take that risk."

When asked what she would say to those doubting the benefits of
medical marijuana, she stood behind the drug.

"Marijuana is nowhere near as harmful as the other medications I could
take. I could be on opiates, but I don't want to be on opiates. I
could literally be addicted to a painkiller, legally, whereas my
non-addictive painkiller that allows me to live and enjoy my life is
still covered by a negative stigma.

"If people have never actually been in a huge amount of pain and have
never tried marijuana, they won't understand. I was military, the
military is so anti-drug, but I have no choice. My choices are to go
onto heavy opiates or use weed as I need it, I ' ll stick with the
weed, thank you. It's just so sad that there's so many people who
don't have all the facts."

Kuntz is hopeful that the negative stigma against marijuana use will
change.

"I think people need to talk," he said. "I think people need to speak
up. If people don't stand and they don't speak, and we don't actually
make a difference, then it' s not going to change. I 'm not your '
traditional pothead; I 'm not what you'd expect. So if I 'm in a
position where I can help and I can make a difference, and I fully
believe to my core that this is what I have to do. I 'm not stupid, I
'm in the right."

For now Kuntz said he is staying strong thanks the support of his wife
Amanda, the love of their two children and extended family members.

"Despite all of this, I'm a happy person," he said. "It's the little
things you need to focus on."
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MAP posted-by: Matt