REFORM MP: LEGALIZE MEDICINAL MARIJUANA

A Reform MP wants the government to decriminalize the use of marijuana for
medical purposes.

Jim Hart also says an RCMP investigation into Ottawa's medicinal marijuana
network is a "misguided use of resources."

"There is evidence marijuana can help ease the pain of people who are
dying. The government should be compassionate," says Mr. Hart.

"We need to point out to the government that maybe using police to
investigate (AIDS and cancer patients) isn't the best use of resources."

Mr. Hart has submitted a privatemember's motion asking that MPs debate the
issue in Parliament. Mr. Hart's motion says marijuana should be
decriminalized "for health purposes, explicitly for the purpose of
providing pain relief for the terminally ill."

He envisions a system in which marijuana is grown under the control of the
federal government and distributed by doctors to patients in need.

Yesterday, the Citizen reported that the RCMP are investigating a network
of marijuana growers, critically ill patients, and doctors in hopes of
laying drug charges against an Ottawa man who provides free or discount
marijuana to AIDS and cancer patients.

"I don't blame the police. I blame the laws," said Mr. Hart, who represents
the B.C. riding of OkanaganCoquihalla. "It doesn't make sense to deny
these patients something that helps their pain or makes them live longer."

The Reform MP became convinced of the medical benefits of marijuana after
one of his constituents, Gerald Hopcraft, came forward in 1995 asking for
help.

Mr. Hopcraft, now 52, had his skull crushed in a farm accident in the
1960s. Through his long recovery, he had tried dozens of types of
medication to control his pain and body spasms.

"The use of conventional muscle relaxants and painkillers didn't work. The
only thing that did work was marijuana. As he said, it was the last remedy
presented to him and it was the one that worked," Mr. Hart said. "But now
he has the same problem that other patients have, that marijuana is against
the law. That's where my motion comes in."

A parliamentary committee decides which privatemember's motions will be
presented in the House. If Mr. Hart's motion is chosen, MPs will debate it,
and it could then be sent on to another committee that would draft a bill
setting out how medical marijuana could be decriminalized.

He hopes the motion will be debated in the House of Commons before the end
of the year.

"The government needs to act on this issue," Mr. Hart says. "(Health
Minister) Allan Rock needs to act on this issue."

Mr. Hart's comments followed news that the RCMP is attempting to lay drug
charges against an Ottawa man who provides marijuana to AIDS and cancer
patients.

The RCMP's investigation was prompted by a Citizen article earlier this
month that described how the network provides marijuana to AIDS and cancer
patients.

The article named one marijuana grower, Aubert Martins, and two patients,
Jean Charles Pariseau, who has AIDS, and Gerard Konning, who has Crohn's
disease. An Ottawa doctor who advocates marijuana use, Don Kilby, was also
named.

The RCMP now hope to lay drug trafficking charges against Mr. Martins for
his role in providing marijuana to those in need.

On Monday, RCMP officers questioned Mr. Pariseau, 30, who receives free
marijuana through the network. The RCMP also requested permission to
question a Citizen reporter Monday, a request that was denied.

Yesterday morning, the RCMP arrived at Mr. Martins' home to question him.
He also refused to cooperate.

The RCMP is defending the decision to investigate the network.

"We're charged with enforcing the laws of the country," says RCMP Cpl. Marc
Richer.

"It's up to the courts to decide the outcome."

Cpl. Richer says the investigation into Mr. Martins and the rest of the
ring was ordered by the RCMP's drug squad after the article appeared in the
Citizen.

"An investigation is an investigation, it doesn't matter who the drugs are
being used by," says Cpl. Richer.

"I think there is another angle to this. Not everyone agrees that marijuana
is the best way to treat some of these illnesses."

Still, Mr. Hart says he believes most Canadians will support his private
member's motion.

In an Angus Reid poll of 1,515 Canadians conducted in the last week of
October, 83 per cent of those asked supported the legalization of marijuana
for medicinal purposes. Fiftyone per cent supported the total legalization
of the drug.

"It's a tough situation," Mr. Hart says. "I'm not supportive of legalizing
or decriminalizing marijuana for recreational use. I don't believe in that,
but I think for people that are ill, there is a real need for this to be
addressed."