RELIEF IN SIGHT

Denying marijuana to desperately ill people in order to keep it out of the
hands of recreational users is both absurd and inhumane.

Parliament has finally recognized that. This week, Health Minister Allan
Rock, prodded by the Bloc Quebecois, authorized clinical trials to
determine the therapeutic benefits of the drug.

It shouldn't have taken decades of pleading, lobbying and covert
lawbreaking on the part of doctors, caregivers and those suffering from
cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and other chronic diseases to
win this small show of compassion from Canada's lawmakers.

It shouldn't have taken the federal government 15 months to respond to a
clear signal from the courts.

In December of 1997, Ontario Judge Patrick Sheppard ruled that ``it does
not accord with fundamental justice to criminalize a person suffering from
a serious chronic medical disability for possessing a vitally helpful
substance not legally available in Canada.''

It shouldn't have taken the criminalization of sick people such as Terry
Parker of Toronto, who uses marijuana to ease his epileptic seizures, or
Mark Crossley of Nova Scotia, who uses the drug to cope with the headaches
caused by his brain tumour, to bring about this change.

Rock deserves credit for breaking the logjam. He wisely decided to set
guidelines for the medical use and distribution of marijuana before
allowing its widespread use. All that exists now is anedoctal evidence that
it alleviates certain types of suffering. Virtually nothing is known about
its side effects.

The Reform party is warning that Rock is opening the door to the
legalization of marijuana.

The health minister denies that he has any such intention. But even if his
decision leads to changes in Canada's drug laws, it would be the right
thing to do.

Sick people should not be punished because healthy people like smoking
dope.