JIM WAKEFORD CHAT: MEDICINAL MARIJUANA

Jim Wakeford was the first Canadian allowed to smoke marijuana
for medicinal reasons. Now the Toronto AIDS patient wants
the government to provide a supply.

William: Are you currently suing the government, or is
your situation cleared up?

Jim Wakeford: I have an appeal against the federal government.
It's a further stage in my constitutional case that started
in 1998. I don't have the money to launch the appeal. People
can send cheques to Jim Wakeford in trust 540 Church St.
Apt. 311 Toronto M4Y 2E1. I launched the challenge in February
1998. I had used marijuana since 1996 and it seemed unjust
that I didn't have access. I was awarded a grant from the
court challenges program of $50,000 and I raised $10,000.
In May 1999 I was granted an exemption to use and cultivate
marijuana. My appeal was abandoned when I was granted a
Section 56 from the minister. Neither of those exemptions
give me legal access to marijuana. I can't get seeds or
cones legally, nor does it give care providers immunity.
Two of my care givers have been busted and one had his crop
cleared out. One was convicted of trafficking for selling
to me and other sick people. The appeal comes from April
this year, when I went back to court to get legal access
and protection for care providers. The judge ruled that
I didn't need help and I should continue to use the black
market. That's what I'm appealing if I can raise the $20,000
I need.

Jim Black: When you smoke pot to help reduce symptoms do
you also feel high or just relief from the pain and discomfort?


Jim Wakeford: Living with AIDS is really a challenge very
day. Every day I face different medical challenges. The
chemotherapy causes affects that are alleviated somewhat
from marijuana. If I'm lucky I get a bit high but it mostly
lessens the discomfort. An equally important use is the
appetite stimulation. Living with AIDS I have a lack of
appetite and food doesn't taste good. The marijuana makes
eating more pleasurable. There is an issue of whole plant
medicine. That's what I've been after since 1996 when I
wrote the Prime Minister. Whole plant medicine means using
the buds of the female plant. There are several strains
that relieve different illnesses. So it's whole plant medicine
that I and others require. Leaves and the stems, often called
shake, don't produce the medicine, it's the buds from the
female plants. I gather that shake is what some people in
the U.S. have had access to under a restricted program,
but it's harsh and not medicinal.

Sophie: I sympathize with your situation, really I do. But
I don't believe that your medication should be paid for
by the government. All the rest of us Canadians have to
work and pay for them, so why shouldn't you?

Jim Wakeford: The fact is that my AIDS medications are covered
by the provincial drug formulary, thanks to the lobbying
of AIDS activists. I think most people suffering from catastrophic
illnesses in this country are covered. I think if marijuana
isn't covered it should be made affordable. I use a couple
joints a day, about $3,600 a year. I filed a claim with
my income tax in 1996, but my claim was denied because I
couldn't provide receipts. Of course I can't get receipts
on the black market. I think that's unfair. Many of my friends
can't afford it at all. I can afford it because I have access
to an early insurance policy.

Tokey: Since you have gained this legal right, do you think
the marijuana lobby will see this as one step toward full-fledged
legalization, and would you support this if you were not
ill?

Jim Wakeford: I don't answer hypothetical questions. What
I won is a right without remedy because legal access is
denied and care provider protection is denied. I think it
will be younger and stronger and healthier people than I
who will resolve whether marijuana should be used for other
purposes. The focus for me and many others is on the medical
use. From everything that I have heard and know I think
marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and tobacco, both
of which are legal.

Sandra: Can people in other countries use marijuana for
medical reasons?

Jim Wakeford: I'm not aware of any country, other than the
U.S., which has a small program with only a dozen people
enrolled. It provides inferior marijuana. Canada has a chance
to show leadership, but it's regrettable that it is taking
the courts to do so.

B Wilson: Has the marijuana improved your quality of life?
If so in what way? What has been the hardest part of living
with this disease?

Jim Wakeford: Well, there is no question that marijuana
improves my life by allowing me to eat and to keep on the
rigorous drug program I nearly died in 1998 because of malnutrition
and marijuana helped me get through that. It continues to
help me. Living with AIDS is very stressful and marijuana
has helped alleviate that stress. Part of the stress is
fear of arrest and police intervention. My only direct contact
with the police occurred in May of this year. Hilary Black
from the Vancouver Compassion Society sent me two packages
of marijuana. The first arrived fine, but the second was
intercepted. I had to go to court to get the package. My
lawyers won. In July, myself and a group of exemptees, tried
to set up a collective so we could grow communally. Regrettably
the individual fell behind in his rent and the police were
called. No charges were laid, but the entire crop was lost.
We are sick people who are trying to look after ourselves,
but we're subjected to opposition and difficulty. I found
it most ironic last month to read in the Globe and Mail
that Health Canada has issued drugs to airport employees
so they can train their dogs. It's ironic they will train
the dogs, but they won't give us access to marijuana for
medical purposes.

Joe the Lion: Do you think that British scientists, who
are trying to remove the pain relieving properties of marijuana
so that people using it for medicinal purposes can do so
without experiencing the high, understand or appreciate
the overall effect of the combined ingredients?

Jim Wakeford: There is no question they do not. GW Pharmaceuticals
has been licensed to extract something from the plant. I
wish them well, that seems to be what our federal government
has in mind, but I go back to what I said earlier, I need
whole-plant medicine. Canada has some of the finest growers
in the world. People who know about the different strains.
I believe our government should allow people to supply sick
Canadians. The other distinction is between AIDS and other
illnesses. There is no cure for AIDS this is a terminal
illness. Although I've been sick for some time for me, there
is no hope, in the sense of a cure. I think it's appalling
that the government should fight me so hard to block my
right to a drug that alleviates my suffering. I hope people
on line will contribute to my appeal so we can get access
to this product.

Robert E. Turner: I have M/S am Phd Clinical Psychologist,
I want to see pot allowed for this too. What do you think?


Jim Wakeford: I have met several people who suffer from
MS and have learned from them how marijuana benefits them.
They too should have access to our best growers and get
the finest products. And it should be affordable.

One more point, I don't know where the MS Society is on
this issue, but one of the problems I've encountered with
the AIDS organizations. Many support us, but none actually
help. I guess they are worried about their funding. People
should put pressure on their organizations, both locally
and nationally, to get behind this effort. There has been
resounding silence from the Cancer Society, the muscular
dystrophy society and others. Most Canadians believe it
should be available and the legislature agreed it should
be available for medical purposes. I no longer have confidence
that the federal government is able to come up with a supply
of high quality Canadian marijuana for medical purposes.
That's why I think we need to licence experienced growers
and let them help us.

Mark F: Sir My son needs special infant formula due to his
allergies that costs me $8 a day. I pay for it out of my
own pocket as it is not covered by public or private insurance.
All that means is I do with a little less in other areas.
Why should I the taxpayer pay for your pot when I pay for
my sons formula to live out of my own pocket?

Jim Wakeford: I'm not going to quibble over how the health
care system penalizes each of us. I think it's appalling
that your son's formula isn't covered. I think it's wrong
that nutritional supplements that seniors need aren't covered.
Our health care system is in a mess. Our system should alleviate
suffering and allow people to live longer, more productive
lives. Your son's formula should be covered, no question.
I didn't comment about all the other costs I incur, other
than marijuana. In 1998 I spent about $11,000 of which marijuana
was only $3,600. We're all caught by having our care not
covered by medical formularies.

Bill: How often do you smoke during a day?

Jim Wakeford: My personal use is a joint before a dinner
to stimulate my appetite and one other joint later when
I'm taking a particular combination of drugs. But it varies
for each person, depending on their conditions. I occasionally
use more, depending on how I feel. It's not always available
on the black market, even at outrageous prices. That's why
I want a safe, clean affordable, high quality supply of
Canadian whole-plant marijuana to counter the nausea, the
effects of chemo and for appetite stimulation.

Kathy: Where does your marijuana come from? Are there legal
growers in Canada?

Jim Wakeford: There are no legal growers in Canada. I rely
on the black market. I've had to procure it in many forms,
I've lost a lot of money and been ripped off. It's not a
very satisfactory way for a sick man to be trying to get
his medicine. I have the good fortune of knowing several
compassion clubs, or buyers clubs, which tend to have better
quality, but they're not affordable, because they have to
pay a fortune themselves. But in most cases the prices are
almost as high as street prices.

Regrettably, prohibition has resulted in this state of affairs.
Medical marijuana crosses three areas -- the health, the
criminal and the finance -- unfortunately those three ministries
at the federal level rarely talk to each other. It will
require policy changes, in addition to court orders, to
bring that in line.

My health fluctuates and I have tried to grow marijuana
myself but my health wasn't good enough and I don't know
enough about it. So I required help to grow it. Two of my
helpers who assisted me have been busted for providing that
assistance. Anyone who helps me, and I require help, is
subject to prosecution.

Kyle: Have you heard anything about affects of pot on ANY
type of mental illness

Jim Wakeford: I have not heard a great deal about that.
I have heard references to it helping people with depression
and other psychiatric conditions and many people find it
helpful for reducing anxiety. But much of the research has
been more related to physical illness, to my knowledge,
but I'm not a doctor. I'm just one man with AIDS who is
trying to live and maintain a reasonable quality of life.
I know marijuana did help relieve my own depression, but
that's just anecdotal too.

Valerie: Jim You certainly are good at describing yourself
as a poor victim. Do you feel like a victim? The growing
support for Conservative politics would tend me to believe
that you are not as well supported in the public as you
think. What percentage of the public would you say supports
your cause ??

Jim Wakeford: I think I'm a determined man, I don't consider
myself a victim. A 1997 Gallup poll showed 86 per cent of
Canadians supported legalization of marijuana for medical
purposes. There is rarely 100 per cent support for anything.
But thank you for the back handed compliment.

Anne Marie : Lately, reports have shown that smoking pot
is even more dangerous for your lungs than regular cigarettes.
How can doctors, in good conscience, prescribe a "drug"
that does so much harm?

Jim Wakeford: The most harm that I have heard of regarding
marijuana is that prolonged use can compromise pulmonary
function. When you are living with a terminal illness, it's
a trade off. I have not suffered any lung impairment, personally,
and to my knowledge that is the only problem with a smoked
form of marijuana. That's why many people are looking for
alternative delivery methods. I wish them well, but I don't
expect to be around long enough to see them. Just let me
have my whole form plant and enjoy it.

People who are interested in supporting their constitutional
rights and my appeal can contribute to my fund -- Jim Wakeford
in trust 540 Church St. Apt. 311 Toronto M4Y 2E1. Contributions
are not tax deductible, I'm an individual, not a charitable
institution. Thank you for your interest.

Moderator: That wraps up our chat with Jim Wakeford. Thank
you for all your questions.