CANADA LEGALISES MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Canada is to become the first country to legalise possession of cannabis to
chronically ill people - if it will help them cope with their conditions
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.