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Canada Legalises Medical MarijuanaBy: Unknown From the end of this month, patients will be given photo identity cards stating they have a right to possess or grow the drug. Patients have reported that cannabis
helps to relieve the symptoms of a variety of diseases, including
arthritis, cancer, Aids and multiple sclerosis.
The Canadian health minister, Allan Rock, described the new regulations
as a compassionate measure.
But Hugh Scully, a former president of the Canadian medical
association, criticised the move, saying that too little was known about
possible harm from the drug.
Right to possession
In Britain, juries have acquitted defendants who say they have smoked
the drug for medical purposes, even though the law does not allow it.
The United States Supreme Court, on the other hand, recently ruled
against moves in California to relax the law.
Canada is now giving some patients the formal right to possess cannabis
and to grow a limited number of plants.
They will be able to apply if their doctors certify that they have a
terminal illness or one of a number of specified medical conditions - and
that conventional treatments have not worked.
Home grown
The Canadian Government also plans to license a company in Saskatchewan
to start growing cannabis legally.
However, for the time being, there will be no legal way for sufferers
to obtain the drug other than to grow it themselves, or to have it grown
by a nominated friend or relative.
Commercial production will continue to be a criminal offence.
Officially, the new rules have no implications for the law in Canada on
recreational use of cannabis.
But there, as in many countries, the pros and cons of de-criminalisation
are being hotly debated. |
