DOCS IN THE DARK ABOUT POT

OTTAWA -- Physicians who approve the use of medicinal marijuana say
their clinical knowledge of the drug is hazy and they rely heavily on
their patients to help them craft treatment plans, according to
interviews conducted for Health Canada. The doctors' knowledge of
medical marijuana "had most often come directly (in anecdotal form)
from their patients' experience with the drug," concludes the study of
physician attitudes by Montreal firm Les Etudes de Marche Createc.

"This model obscures the boundary between physician and patient and
contravenes conventional medical practice which relies almost
exclusively on scientific evidence-based information," the study says.

"Many physicians expressed concern about this 'blurring' of
boundary."

The study, from March to June 2007, drew from a pool of 917 doctors
across the country. The group was then narrowed to 30.

Overall, the group did not view marijuana as a "high risk" drug and
agreed that the positive effects for medical purposes outweighed its
negative effects.

But doctors still felt they needed to know much more about
marijuana.

Health Canada has authorized its use for severe pain, nausea and
muscle spasms among those with multiple sclerosis, spinal cord
injuries, arthritis, cancer and HIV/AIDS, and for seizures from epilepsy.

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POT OF FACTS

By the numbers (as of October 2007):

2,261 people have Health Canada's permission to "possess dried
marijuana" for medical reasons

1,256 physicians "support" these patients.

1,581 people are permitted to cultivate and produce marijuana for
medical purposes.

Source - Health Canada