MARIJUANA STUDY POLITICAL: COMPASSION CLUBS

Representatives from Canada's largest compassion clubs yesterday said
Health Canada's committee studying medical marijuana exists for political,
and not health care, reasons.

After extensive lobbying, two compassion club representatives won an
invitation to address the committee, which met yesterday in Montreal.
Although dubious of the committee's goals, one of the compassions clubs'
recommendations is that they be given a permanent seat on the committee.

"The Compassion Clubs are stakeholders in the development of these
regulations - we have been successfully providing cannabis to ill Canadians
for over 6 years with no government involvement," said Hilary Black,
founder of the British Columbia Compassion Club Society. "Members of that
committee are deeply invested in the status quo of prohibition, and are
influiencing the creation of these regulations which cater to prohibition,
not to the healthcare agenda."

Black and members of compassion clubs in Toronto, Montreal and on Vancouver
Island also urged Health Canada's committee to adopt a more transparent
approach, to decentralize regulation, and to give amnesty to all currently
involved in the compassion club movement.

"We have been and will continue to be spending precious resources battling
the government in courts rather than providing access to medicinal
cannabis," said Black, who noted that Vancouver and Nelson are the only
clubs that haven't gone to the courts.

Health Canada spokesperson Jirina Vlk said the committee's members do not
represent groups and offer their expertise as independent members.

"A Compassion Club representative would be a very different thing," she said.

The committee was not officially discussing giving Compassion Clubs a spot,
but Vlk said the issue could still be raised at a round table discussion.