PRESCRIBING MARIJUANA CALLED BAD FOR DOCTORS

Little Knowledge Of Risks

Medical marijuana may be legal, but that doesn't mean it's accessible.

Canadian doctors have been warned they could expose themselves to
liability or professional misconduct complaints if they prescribe
marijuana without "detailed knowledge" of the drug's risks and
benefits as well as the appropriate dosage.

The Canadian Medical Protective Association says information about
prescribing marijuana "simply is not available," making it nearly
impossible for the vast majority of doctors to comply with new
federal regulations for medicinal marijuana.

"Given the consequences ... physicians will want to be very careful
when determining whether to assist a patient in making an application
under these regulations," the CMPA says in a three-page information
letter being mailed to 60,000 doctors across the country.

The insurance group represents about 95% of doctors practising in
Canada. Dr. John Gray, its secretary treasurer and chief executive,
said the directive means patients will likely "either have difficulty
finding a doctor to complete the forms or difficulty accessing the
appropriate specialists."

In a letter to Allan Rock, the federal Health Minister, the CMPA says
the new regulations "place an unacceptable burden on member
physicians to inform themselves as to the effectiveness of medical
marijuana in each patient's case, as well as the relative risks and
benefits of the drug and what dosage would be appropriate.

"This information simply is not available," Dr. Gray writes. "Given
the fact that many physicians would not have the necessary knowledge
about the effectiveness, risks or benefits of marijuana, we believe
it is unreasonable to make physicians gatekeepers in this process."

The new regulations, which came into force this summer, allow
patients with chronic or terminal illnesses to apply to Health Canada
for permission to use marijuana.

But the CMPA warns that before doctors could agree the benefits
outweigh the risks, as demanded by the regulations, they would need
"detailed knowledge of the effectiveness of marijuana for the
patient's particular condition."

In an interview, Dr. Gray said that puts most doctors "in an
impossible situation." He said "little or no" scientific evidence
exists about the use of medical marijuana for various medical
conditions, or the risks to patients.

That dearth of research, he said, could leave doctors "very
vulnerable to either a future lawsuit or a complaint to a licensing
authority. The CMPA is urging doctors to proceed with "extreme
caution."

It's been estimated that as many as 400,000 Canadians use marijuana
for medical purposes.