MEDICAL MARIJUANA ADVOCATES WANT POT FROM OTTAWA

TORONTO - A group of seven people who smoke pot for medical reasons have
gone to court to force Ottawa to provide them with marijuana to treat their
illnesses.

They say their constitutional rights have been violated because, while they
and about 300 other Canadians can legally smoke pot to relieve nausea and
pain, they can't purchase it legally.

That means they have to buy it on the street, which exposes them to
criminals, said Alan Young, lawyer for the seven.

"The government gave me a prescription that I have to go to the streets to
fill. That is outrageous," " said Alison Myrden as some of the group =96 who
suffer from ailments like AIDS, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis =96 lit up
outside the courthouse during a break.

They also say the regulations that govern access to marijuana, which are
supposed to reflect previous court decisions permitting seriously ill peopl
e
to use the weed, are so onerous that they prevent access to the drug.

The regulations require a doctor to sign a form permitting the patient to
use marijuana, but few doctors are willing to do so, given the legal
consequences, Young said.

Federal Health Minister Anne McLellan has said she doesn't want the
government to distribute marijuana until clinical trails are finished.