WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE SAYING 'YES, I CAN-NABIS'

Marijuana (cannabis) has been a point of contention for decades. It
was not actually made illegal in the United States until 1970, and was
added to the Confidential Restricted List in 1923 in Canada. It is
still federally illegal in the United States, causing a convoluted and
shaky basis for medicinal marijuana in that country.

In Canada, it is federally illegal to possess or sell marijuana for
recreational use, but it is controlled by the government for medicinal
uses.

Patients utilizing the drug for medicinal reasons have a considerable
amount of legal protection compared to those in the United States.

This is the first article in a series about this issue, and the pros
and cons of medicinal marijuana will be highlighted in this first instalment.

In Canada, there are two categories in which patients must fall under
in order to receive marijuana for medicinal uses, according to Health
Canada.

The first category is "comprised of any symptoms treated within the
context of providing compassionate end-of-life care; or the symptoms
associated with the specified medical conditions listed in the
schedule to the Regulations," which include: multiple sclerosis, a
spinal cord injury, spinal cord disease, cachexia (loss of weight,
muscle atrophy, significant loss of appetite), nausea due to cancer or
HIV/AIDS infection, pain from severe forms of arthritis, and seizures
from epilepsy.

The second category "is for applicants who have debilitating
symptom(s) of medical condition(s), other than those described in
Category 1" (from Health Canada). A specialist must confirm the
diagnosis and that conventional treatments have failed or are
inappropriate to address the problem. Health Canada has contracted
Prairie Plant Systems Inc. to cultivate a standardized, homogenous
supply of marijuana. Some patients can be authorized by Health Canada
to grow their own.

In the United States, fourteen states (Alaska, California, Colorado,
Hawaii, New Jersey, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico,
Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington) approve and regulate
the use of medicinal marijuana.

In 2009, the U.S. Attorney General under president Barack Obama
declared that "It will not be a priority to use federal resources to
prosecute patients with serious illnesses or their caregivers who are
complying with state laws on medical marijuana, but we will not
tolerate drug traffickers who hide behind claims of compliance with
state law to mask activities that are clearly illegal." The number of
medicinal marijuana dispensaries in the U.S. skyrocketed thereafter.

However, the regulation of the drug is not cohesive, as every state
has its own regulations. Colorado and Nevada are the only states so
far to have changed their actual state constitutions to allow the
medical use of marijuana. The regulations for obtaining a medicinal
marijuana card vary from state to state, as do the rules for providing
and obtaining the drug.

It is commonly accepted, however, that it can be used to relieve the
symptoms of the same conditions listed above by Health Canada. There
is also a drug in existence in the United States called Marinol, a
pill approved by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. It contains
synthetic THC, which, according to the DEA's article on their website,
"has been found to relieve the nausea and vomiting associated with
chemotherapy for cancer patients and to assist with loss of appetite
with AIDS patients." THC is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the major
psychoactive substance found in marijuana.

Of course, there are those who do not believe marijuana is a solution
to certain health problems. In particular, smoked marijuana is a worry
of many doctors, as it can damage the brain, heart, lungs, and immune
system, according to John Walters, the director of the Office of
National Drug Control Policy. The British Lung Foundation also claims
that "3-4 cannabis cigarettes a day are associated with the same
evidence of acute and chronic bronchitis and the same degree of damage
to the bronchial mucosa as twenty or more tobacco cigarettes a day."

The Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana, based in Santa Cruz,
California, sponsors a website of testimonials from those who have
benefited from medical marijuana. Medical marijuana has helped these
patients deal with symptoms of gastro-intestinal problems, aging,
reduced movement, arthritis, HIV/AIDS, chronic pain, cancer, and
multiple sclerosis.

One patient of breast cancer, Judith Cushner, states on this website
that she tried Marinol, which gave no relief from the nausea she
experienced during chemotherapy. Medical marijuana, however, was of
benefit to her.

Keith Vines, an AIDS patient, states that he tried Marinol to regain
his appetite. The drug, however, made him feel "stoned" for several
hours, which was unacceptable for his line of work as an Assistant
District Attorney.

"Marinol deprived me of something I have always valued deeply: a sense
of control over my mind and body," he writes. But medical marijuana
caused his appetite to return. Using medical marijuana is a
self-medication program, from which these patients obviously benefited.

The next article in this series will provide an overview of the
various means for medical marijuana intake.