WIKY MAN QUESTIONS POT CLAMPDOWN WHILE ACCESS FOR PAIN RELIEF IS LIMITED

It is a complicated issue, with strong advocates on both sides of the
debate. In one respect it is viewed as a drug that causes intoxication,
while others consider it an age-old medicine that acts as a pain relief
for a long list of diseases and ailments.

In Canada, the law to legalize the use of marijuana came into effect in
2001; however, Canadian doctors have refused to support Canada's Medical
Marijuana Access Regulations (MMAR) applications after provincial colleges
of physicians and surgeons across the country told doctors not to sign the
required forms.

There has been a long string of conflicting medical reports about the pros
and cons of the use of marijuana-too long to list here in this article.
Suffice to say, the debate is still on and it affects Canadians all over
the country, even here on the Island.

Richard Corbiere, an advocate for a homegrown supply of the substance for
medicinal use, has run into opposition both within the government in
Wikwemikong and the provincial government vis-^-vis the police.

The federal government voted to allow those patients who are in pain to be
treated with marijuana. The problem is not who is eligible or how to get a
prescription but how to actually get the medicine when living here on the
Island, he said.

"It's my desire to supply the patients at the Wikwemikong nursing home
with their medicine," said Mr. Corbiere. "But those in administration
running the home threatened to charge me with trespassing when I was
there."

There is sympathy among patients for Mr. Corbiere providing a medicine for
those who are in pain. He is not in the business of trafficking marijuana
for recreational purposes. For Mr. Corbiere, it is medicine, so the
obstacles are both frustrating and infuriating. Clearly, there is a
problem.

"I want to supply seniors with their medicine, and save them the costs,
hassles and inevitable logistical obstacles of travelling six hours to
Toronto to fill their prescription," said Mr. Corbiere from his home in
Wikwemikong.

"It doesn't make any sense to me that Mr. Manitowabi (chief administrator
at the nursing home in Wikwemikong) would threaten me with trespassing
when all I'm attempting to do is the provide medicine to those who have a
prescription," he said. "These patients have an inherent right to fill
their prescription."

But according to Gary Reid, police chief in Wikwemikong, it is a simple
matter. "It is illegal to grow marijuana," stated Mr. Reid. "If you have a
licence from the government then that will be okay, but otherwise, it is
illegal."

As it stands now, anyone who has a prescription to use marijuana as a pain
reliever must get the medicine from one of three licensed suppliers in
Toronto. Mr. Corbiere wants to grow it here on the Island, become licensed
and then supply the sick. To do this, he must get a licence from the
government.

"The whole process of supplying the medicine is currently a work in
progress," Mr. Corbiere said. "So right now, with this unexplained
marijuana crackdown going on by the Sudbury police and the police on
Manitoulin, it's creating havoc. I don't understand why they don't spend
their time going after more serious criminals and pursuing more serious
matters."

But according to Mr. Reid, there is no crackdown. "I'm not aware of the
situation with Mr. Corbiere and his problem at the nursing home," said the
police chief. "Again, growing marijuana without a licence is illegal. I
wish Mr. Corbiere every success with his endeavours, but he needs a
licence."

Richard Corbiere is not an unqualified supplier of the 'devil's weed.' He
ran a compassion society in Victoria BC for many years. In Victoria he saw
the effects of treatment with medicinal marijuana on those in the house.

"In the house in Victoria, the average age of a street person was 49, and
we saw the average of undesirable incidents go down from three a week to
about one a month," he said. "Instead of using alcohol to ease their
pains, marijuana met the need without the side effect of violence."

It may take some time for citizens to become accustomed to the change in
laws, so Mr. Corbiere insists on educating the public as to the usefulness
of marijuana as a medicine. "There are many here in Wiky who say one thing
and then do another," he said. "There is still a stigma involved so those
in power are afraid to stick up for the new laws legalizing medicinal use
of marijuana."

Despite the fact that the laws are clear, the misunderstandings and
general unwillingness are bewildering for Mr. Corbiere. "The supplier
needs to get a licence from Health and Welfare Canada, and that takes
about five to six months," Mr. Corbiere said. "And those with a licence
cannot sell the marijuana to anyone without a prescription, yet getting a
licence is both difficult and time-consuming."

Mr. Corbiere, 56, plans to obtain his licence and grow the plant here on
the Island. "With type B diabetes such a problem here among Natives, why
shouldn't there be a grower here on Manitoulin? Up to 40 percent of some
reservations have diabetes," he noted.

Some of the diseases and conditions that marijuana is said to help include
Alzheimer's disease, asthma, migraines, glaucoma, arthritis,
gastrointestinal disorders, epilepsy, hepatitis C, and psychological
conditions, among others.

The Green Party, now one of the four mainstream parties in federal
politics, has as part of its platform the full legalization of marijuana,
and is promoting more debate on an issue that has been on the table for
more than 40 years.