HTTP/1.0 200 OK Content-Type: text/html Medicinal Pot Users Protest Delays, Raid
Pubdate: Fri, 23 Aug 2002
Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (Canada Web)
Copyright: 2002 CBC
Contact:  http://www.cbc.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1412
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm (Drug Raids)

MEDICINAL POT USERS PROTEST DELAYS, RAID

Toronto  --  Medicinal marijuana users lit up on a downtown Toronto street 
today to protest against a delay in releasing government-grown cannabis to 
sick people.

They were also voicing their opposition to a recent police raid on a 
Toronto cannabis supply centre.

People in the crowd of about 100 repeated what they have been saying for 
years: they are not using pot for fun.

One man with lung cancer explained how marijuana increases his appetite and 
also helps him sleep at night.

Catherine Devries suffers spine and bowel conditions. She says pot quells 
her nausea.

Devries is one of nine people represented who have launched a civil lawsuit 
in an effort to get access to high-quality pot.

The lawsuit will be heard September 19th and 20th. It will demand that 
Devries and about 200 other Canadians be given access to marijuana grown by 
Health Canada in Manitoba.

Devries says she was "devastated and stunned" to hear comments this week by 
Health Minister Anne McLellan. McLellan said she's uncomfortable about 
endorsing marijuana for medical use and wants to see further research done. 
Devries says McLellan's comments are another sign Ottawa is prepared to 
delay any action to provide medicinal marijuana.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager