BUREAUCRATIC MAZE ON MARIJUANA

New Rules On The Medicinal Use Of Pot Go Into Effect In Canada

TORONTO -- New regulations took effect Monday expanding the number of
Canadians allowed to use medical marijuana, but those eligible say
the system resembles a bureaucratic maze likely to delay hundreds
more from participating.

The rules are part of the first system in the world that includes a
government-approved and paid-for supply of marijuana for people
suffering from terminal illnesses and chronic conditions such as
multiple sclerosis or severe arthritis.

Patients may grow their own pot, or designate someone to grow it for
them. In addition, the health department is paying a Saskatchewan
company to grow government marijuana for eligible patients.

While medical marijuana advocates in the United States look at the
Canadian system with envy, some users north of the border complain
hurdles remain in place.

"I still have to fend for myself," said Jim Bridges, 37, who already
has government permission to use marijuana for the pain and nausea of
AIDS. He automatically comes under the new regulations, but is
awaiting word on how to submit a photo for the identification card
legal pot smokers will have to carry.

Roslyn Tremblay, a Health Canada spokeswoman, said Monday that
application forms under the new regulations would be available "very
soon," but she was unable to provide a specific date.

To join up, applicants must submit verifiable medical records and
have a doctor's endorsement. Cases except for critically terminal
patients require further supporting documents from another doctor.

The new rules permit drug possession for the terminally ill who are
expected to die within one year; those with symptoms associated with
specific serious medical conditions; and those with other conditions
who have statements from two doctors saying conventional treatments
have not worked. Eligible patients include those with severe
arthritis, cancer, HIV/AIDS and multiple sclerosis.

The government regulations meet a court-ordered deadline for Canada
to create a system for terminally ill patients previously exempted
from criminal marijuana laws to have a legal way to obtain the drug.

The Canadian Medical Association, which represents tens of thousands
of doctors, opposes the new regulations because they make physicians
responsible for prescribing a substance that lacks significant
clinical research on its effects. Without the cooperation of doctors,
patients cannot get medical marijuana exemptions.

South of the border, eight U.S. states have taken some kind of step
toward permitting the medicinal use of marijuana: California,
Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada and Colorado. The
U.S. Supreme Court, however, ruled earlier this year that there is no
exception in federal law for people to use marijuana, so even those
with tolerant state laws could face arrest if they do.