Organizers of Toronto's International Medical Marijuana Expo say they want to attract people tired of taking pharmaceutical drugs with adverse side-effects.
CBC
A view from 2009 about medical marijuana in Canada.
In 2001, Ottawa came up with a solution to the problem, becoming the first country to adopt a formal system to regulate the medicinal use of marijuana — the Marijuana Medical Access Regulations.
The policy allowed people suffering from terminal illnesses or severe conditions such as epilepsy, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and cancer to use the drug if it eased their symptoms.
Some people would be able to grow marijuana themselves under strict guidelines. Others would be allowed to buy it from companies licensed by the government. Ottawa awarded the first (and so far, the only) federal licence to supply marijuana to a Saskatoon-based company, Prairie Plant Systems. The pot is grown in an underground mine in Flin Flon, Man.
In early 2003, the Supreme Court of Ontario ruled that the medical access regulations were unconstitutional because they were failing to provide a legal supply of the drug. Ottawa responded later that year with a plan to provide dried marijuana or seeds to Canadians authorized to take marijuana for medical reasons. That plan — occasionally tweaked — remains largely intact to this day.Who qualifies for medical marijuana authorization?
Condition Symptoms
Multiple sclerosis; spinal cord injury; spinal cord disease Severe pain, persistent muscle spasms
Cancer; AIDS; HIV infection Severe pain, cachexia, anorexia, weight loss, severe nausea
Severe arthritis Severe pain
Epilepsy Seizures
People with terminal illnesses
People suffering from symptoms of medical conditions other than those above (assessment by specialist required)
Source: Health Canada
No comments:
Post a Comment