DOCTORS REJECTS MARIJUANA INITIATIVE

REGINA -- The Saskatchewan Medical Association is uncomfortable with the
federal government's decision to supply marijuana to those in need of pain
relief.

"I'm not convinced the courts are the best people to make a health decision
. . . physicians weren't part of this process," said Marcus Davies, the
association's spokesperson.

The federal government announced Wednesday it would be making the drug
available to patients for $5 a gram in response to a court ruling earlier
this year. Drugs will be distributed by courier to doctors in pre-packaged
30-gram bags and be limited to the amount the physician says is required to
treat the condition.

The SMA, however, isn't supportive of the new federal initiative for
reasons ranging from liability to lack of clinical research.

"The issue is embroiled in controversy. . . . The courts are forcing this
decision without much clinical knowledge," said Davies. "(Doctors) studied
a lot of prescription drugs in medical school but they never studied
marijuana."

Research trials to study the medicinal benefits of the drug will begin this
fall. Davies said it will take years to fully understand the effects of
marijuana properly.

"The courts are causing us to skip a few steps. . . . We don't know what
conditions or symptoms a patient would have to have to prescribe it. . . .
Do we say smoke two or three joints a day before meals? We don't know," he
said.

Because so little is known about the drug, physicians are concerned about
liability, said Davies. "We don't know what any of the side-effects are . .
. anything you take into your lungs that alters your physiological and your
emotional state, that affects your heart rate, is always a concern."

Davies said even if a patient asked for marijuana, he would doubt many
doctors would prescribe it.

"There are about 10,000 drugs out there, but the average physician will
maybe only prescribe about a 100 of them regularly because these are the
ones he or she is most familiar with," he said.

Davies said doctors are also concerned the drugs could make their way back
on to the street.

"There is a massive illegal market out there . . . the doctor will have to
make sure they only prescribes enough for the patient's use only."