MEDICAL MARIJUANA COMING TO PHARMACIES

Medicinal marijuana might someday be coming to a drugstore near
you.

Health Canada is planning to start a pilot project where marijuana for
medicinal use will be sold in select pharmacies. But not everyone is
fond of the idea of drugstores getting into the medical marijuana business.

Ted Smith, founder of the Victoria-based Cannabis Buyers' Club of
Canada, says he doesn't anticipate Health Canada's pilot project will
be a success. "Their program isn't going to work," he insists.

Smith argues pharmacists generally aren't experts on marijuana and
will consequently face with a tough learning curve. On the other hand,
he says, cannabis "clubs" that supply marijuana to people for
medicinal purposes have a thorough knowledge about using pot to deal
with various medical problems. And those who use pot for medicinal
purposes tend to have a strong understanding of what types of
marijuana to use for their illnesses, says Smith, who's also the
president of the International Hempology 101 Society.

"They're sick themselves so they know what kinds of pot work for what
kinds of things - by experience, not because what it says on a chart,"
he says.

Smith points out that some strains of marijuana are effective for
dealing with chronic back pain while other strains are suited for
other sicknesses such as nausea.

And while a certain type of pot is good for addressing back pain
initially, the person's tolerance for that strain will increase so he
or she will need to use a different brand of pot to keep the pain
away, he explains.

Philippe Lucas is the director of the Vancouver Island Compassion
Society, which provides marijuana to 375 people for medicinal purposes
with their doctors' permission.

He also suggests the federal government doesn't have the ability to
provide marijuana that is suitable for medicinal use.

"I think this is an entirely premature move on Health Canada's part,"
he says.

A woman and member of the Vancouver Island Compassion Society, who
asked not to be identified, says she would much rather continue
receiving her marijuana from the society than a pharmacy.

"The support you get with the compassion society is something I think
is great," she says.

The woman notes that she's heard "nothing but bad stories" about the
pot provided by the federal government.

Al Hickie, owner of Esquimalt People's Pharmacy, says he supports the
idea of marijuana being sold in drug stores - with some
stipulations.

"As long as the doctor is prescribing it, it's a good idea. Because
then you have the people who actually need it getting it," he says.
"So from a distribution standpoint, it's a good idea."

At the same time, Hickie says he doesn't like the idea of medicinal
marijuana being sold at a pharmacy to be smoked by the user because it
can pose problems for the a person's lungs. He says he would rather
see pot sold in a drug store in capsules so the user can simply swallow it.

"I can put in a capsule and dose it so I know exactly what dose the
person is getting," says Hickie.

As it currently stands, more than 700 people in Canada are authorized
to use marijuana for medicinal purposes, says Health Canada
spokesperson Catherine Saunders. But only 78 people are actually
authorized to use the marijuana supplied by the federal government
from its crop in Flin Flon, Man., she says.

Lucas says the pot coming out of the Manitoba grow-op is of poor
quality.

"The Health Canada cannabis is absolutely substandard and unfit for
medical marijuana distribution," he says.

Lucas points out that the group he represents routinely tests the pot
from Flin Flon in a laboratory and the quality is never good.

He notes that two weeks ago he had some of the Health Canada marijuana
tested and the THC (the potent ingredient in pot) was only 5.1 per
cent. The THC count in the pot that the Vancouver Island Compassion
Club comes across is in the 15-25 per cent range, says Lucas.

"In addition, our product is 100-per-cent organic," he
says

The Health Canada product, on the other hand, is anything but organic,
says Lucas.

"It's being grown in one of the most polluted, contaminated areas in
Canada," he says.

Lucas notes that, according to an Environment Canada report, Flin Flon
is one of the worst places in North America for heavy metal
contamination.

Saunders says details concerning the pilot project have yet to be
worked out.

She says Health Canada still has to determine which drugstores will be
involved in the pilot project and how long it will last. As well,
Saunders says she couldn't confirm whether the project will take place
in B.C.

"The protocol for the pilot project will be developed over the next
several months," she says.

To develop the protocol, says Saunders, it will be necessary balance
between responding to the concerns of various stakeholders and the
need to provide adequate regulations for a controlled substance.
Saunders says that a prescription wouldn't be necessary for someone to
obtain marijuana. But they would still require authorization from
Health Canada and a medical declaration from their physician.

She says there are a number of regulatory changes being considered in
terms of the future of medicinal marijuana.

"This is something that Health Canada sees as being a strategic
direction for the medical marijuana program and we envision it as
moving the distribution of marijuana into the more traditional
health-care model," she says.