CENTRE TO AVOID POT ISSUE

The AIDS Resource Centre in Kelowna won't be getting involved in helping
any of its clients get medical marijuana because of the shaky legal ground
the whole issue stands on.

"The agency doesn't have a pro or con policy, we have no policy on it,"
said ARC executive director Daryle Roberts. "We will not come out in
support of it or against it. If a client feels they need medical marijuana,
that's between them and their doctor."

Advocates for the use of medical marijuana have slammed the regulations
around the use of medical marijuana-introduced by Health Canada this week-
as too restrictive, subject to arbitrary interpretation by local law officials.

Successful applicants for its use must have less than a year to live and be
in severe pain from a disease like AIDS or cancer and be supported in their
request by doctors.

In Canada, less than 300 people have so far been granted an exemption for
medical marijuana, with 500 more under review. At present, a successful
applicant must grow their own crop until the federal supply is available
early next year.

Roberts said ARC has had several inquiries from clients looking to make the
application but the centre advises them to contact their physicians and
Health Canada to get the required forms.

Roberts said he doesn't want to risk ARC's funding by getting involved in
the legal quagmire that exists around the use of medical marijuana.

"My funder could come and say 'excuse me, what are you doing?.' It's there,
it's happening but it's still illegal for clients to buy," Roberts said.

He criticized the federal government for taking a haphazard approach to the
introduction of medical marijuana. "I don't think some of this has been
thought out to well," Roberts said.

Down the road, he said the centre may develop a policy depending on the
drug trials currently underway.

"If the research comes out and says this is appropriate (treatment) then
we'll be required to come up with a policy," he said.

ARC has about 130 registered clients.