CANADA TAKES WORTHY STEP WITH MEDICAL MARIJUANA

The government of Canada seems to be fumbling a bit with its plans to
make marijuana available to the sick people who would benefit from
it, but our neighbors' fumbling is far better than the indifference
of the U.S. Congress.

Canada has created an elaborate system of identification for people
who have support from their doctors for using marijuana. It also
includes a means for distributing the drug, including a
government-sponsored growing program.

Canada is responding to the fact that the drug has been used
illegally by patients to ease the symptoms of a variety of
conditions, including AIDS and the side effects of chemotherapy.

The new program in Canada is not perfect. Doctors complain that
they're being put in a position of recommending a drug that hasn't
been subjected to rigorous clinical testing. Patients fret about all
the paperwork needed to qualify as a legal user in Canada.

Nevertheless, Canada is doing something to help people in need, and
that puts it a step ahead of the United States on the issue. Many
patients report an easing of symptoms with marijuana use, and there
are qualified physicians who feel the drug has a place in treating
some people. The paperwork in Canada may be burdensome, but it's not
impossible.

On this side of the border the problem is in the U.S. Congress. The
U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that federal laws making marijuana
illegal cannot be voided by state laws, including Maine's, that make
the drug legal for medical users.

The ruling was sound as an interpretation of law, but it
unfortunately leaves states with little leeway. That's why we would
favor legislation in Congress that would either make the drug
available by prescription or enable states to provide it to needy
patients.