DUTCH GOVERNMENT PLANS TO PUT CANNABIS ON PRESCRIPTION

In a country where marijuana is already cheaper than many medications, the
Dutch government approved a bill yesterday that would allow pharmacists to
supply cannabis on prescription.

Parliament was expected to vote in the next few months on the proposal to
put medicinal marijuana on the national health care plan. If the bill is
passed, the drugs would be quality-tested by a government agency before
being issued.

Although the sale of marijuana is technically illegal, Dutch authorities
tolerate the sale of small amounts in hundreds of so-called "coffee shops"
that operate openly.

There, a gram of marijuana costs about 10 guilders (UKP 2.80). Under the
new law, most users would have the cost of their spliffs paid by the Dutch
government if a doctor prescribed cannabis.

The draft legislation was proposed by Els Borst, the Health Minister, who
pushed through the euthanasia law this year, saying it was better to
regulate the existing widespread practice of mercy killing.

This time, a government statement said: "An increasing number of patients
suffering illnesses such as cancer, Aids and multiple sclerosis receive
medicinal cannabis." The law, it said, was needed to remove an
"undesirable" contradiction between practice and law "despite lack of
scientific evidence" of the effects of marijuana use.

Many patients using the drug without professional assistance had had
successful results, it said. "Experiences are positive: less pain, less
nausea after chemotherapy, less stiffness with MS," the statement added.
The government cited legal medicinal use of cannabis in 19 American states
and Canada and said many European states were considering following suit.

Prescription cannabis will be of "pharmaceutical quality" grown to
government guidelines. The Netherlands is known to produces some of the
world's most potent cannabis.