University Of Toronto Student
Paper Reports Heroin Acceptable For AIDS Patients,
But Marijuana Is Not
(Ed. note: It is good that the student paper at
a major Canadian university is reporting this.)
September 23, 1998
From The Varsity
University of Toronto Student paper
http://www.campuslife.utoronto.ca/groups/varsity/
varsity@varsity.utoronto.ca
By Emily HuiHEROIN ACCEPTABLE, POT NOT: AIDS PATIENT TOLD
But Ministry Of Health Invites Proposals For Future Clinical Tests Of Cannabis
A Toronto AIDS activist is launching a publicity campaign to expose the difficulties
he’s having in securing legal permission to use marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Fighting for his life against AIDS, Jim Wakeford has been told by
the federal ministry of health that while cocaine and heroin are drugs that have been
rubber-stamped in the past as controlled substances that could be used by terminally ill
patients, marijuana was off limits.
"It is the only effective medicine that I have found that does two things: it
curbs the side effects such as nausea, caused by AIDS medicine, and it stimulates my
appetite," explained Wakeford of the medical benefits derived by AIDS patients from
the forbidden drug.
Despite its contraband status, Wakeford says he can’t put an end to his daily pot
smoking routine. "It’s the only way I’m staying alive. It stimulates my
appetite. I have to eat," he added.
In a letter refusing Wakeford’s request for permission to
smoke pot legally, federal health minister Allan Rock pointed out, instead, that heroine
and cocaine could be used in Canada for medicinal purposes.
(Ed. note: This is even more absurd in that heroin causes
nausea and cocaine causes a loss of appetite, thus aggravating the two biggest problems of
most AIDS patients.)
Dr. Diane Riley, representing the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy, says it is
astounding that, while heroin and cocaine were approved for pain relief in the 70’s,
marijuana has remained unnoticed.
"It is only recently that marijuana in Western science is known for its medical
use. Before, it had no medical use as far as the government’s concern because it
hasn’t been approved medically," said Riley.
The Canadian Foundation of Drug Policy has been fighting for years to bring about the
decriminalization of marijuana and other drugs they deem as soft.
But Bonnie Fox-McIntyre, a spokesperson for Rock, says that the
procedures within health Canada prohibit any such permission to be granted because there
has never been a federal clinical test weighing the benefits of the drug.
"There is no scientific data that supports the medical use of marijuana,"
she said, adding that the ministry would be happy to accept applications to conduct a
clinical trial.
(Ed. note: This is a bizarre statement. To say that there is
"no scientific data" displays an extraordinary degree of ignorance or an
indifference to the truth that may even exceed DEAland standards. If she had said that
there needs to be "more study" or that there are "better medicines,"
this would at least be arguable. There is in fact a huge amount of "data." This
raises serious questions about whether the Canadian government’s position on
marijuana prohibition has hardened – and why they are taking such an indefensible
position. This kind of statement is going to be a further spur to anti-prohibitionist
sentiment in Canada. Clearly, the Ottawa government is proving itself untrustworthy and
unresponsive to the wishes of the people.)
"We’re sympathetic to people who are suffering from difficult conditions that
may or may not respond to different drugs that may or may not be on the market,"
explained Fox-McIntyre. "We’d welcome proposals to get applied clinical trials
underway."
(Ed. note: So they can stall for a few more years?)
However, when Wakeford tried to take the federal government to court this year, he was
told to re-file his suit under section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
Section 56 states that the Ministry of Health has the power, authority and responsibility
to grant exemptions under special circumstances.
See
Canadian Court
Declines To Rule On Right To Medical Marijuana
and
Canadian Health
Minister Owes Medical Marijuana Activist Wakeford "An Apology
And Canadians An Explanation"
Since the summer of 1997, Wakeford says he has been jostled between federal ministries
and left completely in the dark about section 56. It wasn’t until September eighth
this year that he was finally informed of his rights under section 56.
"It’s frustrating that the system is playing games with
me," he said.
"Filing the suit was the first stage. Now we’re in the second stage."
He has recently filed a new suit against the government for infringing on his
constitutional rights by not permitting him legal access to marijuana. "It is the
only drug that can enable him to fight AIDS with dignity".
There are currently three other Canadians involved in similar court cases in Saskatoon,
Alberta and Ontario, according to Fox-McIntyre, but because they are all still before the
courts, they are off limits for comment.
See|
Judge In Krieger
Case Delays Sentencing To Get More Information On Medical Marijuana
and
Canadian Police
March AIDS Patient, Wife and Child from House With Hands Over Their Heads;
Destroy Medical Marijuana Plants
and
Ontario Editorial
Is In No Hurry to Arrest MS Patient Harichy, Nor In Any Hurry for Justice
But Riley says the time for de-criminalization is now. "Now there’s more
public sentiment and more people are in favour of decriminalization. It will start with
lack of enforcement or minor penalties. The same steps were taken in Australia and the
Netherlands, where the final stages of decriminalization have been achieved," said
Riley.
(Ed. note: Riley is overstating the parallels between Australia and
the Netherlands. Sales have not been "decriminalized" in Australia.)
Robin Ellins of the Cannabis Culture Shop, a strong advocate of de-criminialization,
agrees that the public is warming to his cause. "Just about five years ago or more,
you couldn’t talk or print about the cannabis plant without fear of
prosecution," said Ellins.
Supported