MEDICAL POT RULES LOOSENED

TORONTO -- Canadians who are prescribed marijuana to treat their
illnesses will no longer be forced to rely on the federal government
as a supplier following a Federal Court ruling that struck down a key
restriction in Ottawa's medical marijuana program.

The decision by Judge Barry Strayer, released late yesterday,
essentially grants medical marijuana users more freedom in picking
their own grower and allows growers to supply the drug to more than
one patient.

It's also another blow to the federal government, whose attempts to
tightly control access to medical marijuana have prompted numerous
court challenges.

Currently, medical users can grow their own pot but growers can't
supply the drug to more than one user at a time. Lawyers for medical
users argued that restriction effectively established Health Canada as
the country's sole legal provider of medical marijuana. They also said
the restriction was unfair, and that it prevented seriously ill
Canadians from obtaining the drug they needed.

In his decision, Strayer called the provision unconstitutional and
arbitrary, as it "caused individuals a major difficulty with access."

Ottawa must also reconsider requests made by a group of medical users
who brought the matter to court to have a single outside supplier as
their designated producer, Strayer ruled.