POT PROGRAM IN CHAOS

Medical marijuana plan's top boss leaves

OTTAWA -- Health Canada's medical marijuana program seems gripped by chaos
after the departure of its boss, Cindy Cripps-Prawak.

Cripps-Prawak left her job as director of the Office of Medical Access last
week, Health Canada spokesman Jirina Vlk confirmed yesterday.

It's the second recent resignation to hit the marijuana program. Dr. Greg
Robinson, who is an AIDS patient, resigned from Health Canada's advisory
committee because of what he described as inconsistencies in the access
program.

Cripps-Prawak's move last Friday came two days after the department
introduced a plan to distribute medical marijuana through doctors' offices.

The interim plan was introduced in response to an Ontario court ruling that
patients had to be given some legal means of obtaining the drug and has been
criticized with equal vehemence by doctors and patients.

The Canadian Medical Association has strongly advised doctors not to
participate.

Vlk said Cripps-Prawak was promoted to another department, and her move had
nothing to do with the new plan: "It was decided many months ago that she
was leaving."

"The program is not in chaos," she added.

But Robert Goyer, chairman of Health Canada's advisory committee on medical
marijuana, said he was not surprised that Cripps-Prawak had left.

"Quite frankly, I wonder why would anybody stay in that job so long," he
said.

Critics have frequently questioned Health Minister Anne McLellan's
commitment to the medical marijuana program set up by her predecessor Allan
Rock.

She has said she doesn't believe Health Canada should be in the business of
distributing cannabis, and has indicated the distribution will end if her
department wins its appeal of the Ontario court ruling.

Rock won the approval of the federal cabinet to provide medical marijuana to
ill or dying patients.

McLellan has expressed a diametrically different view.

She disagrees with being forced to provide marijuana to patients.

Goyer, professor emeritus of pharmacology at the University of Montreal,
cited many problems in the program and says it needs to be "re-engineered."

That is the general view of members on the 17-member advisory committee, he
said.

Minutes from the advisory committee's meeting in February refer to the "need
for profound changes to medical marijuana access regulations."

Goyer said he was saddened by the departure of Robinson, a medical doctor
who uses marijuana to treat loss of appetite due to AIDS.

"I hoped with my heart and my soul and brain that he would postpone his
resignation," said Goyer. "My heart was bleeding."

Philippe Lucas of Canadians for Safe Access said the program is a mess.

"I'm sure that nobody in that program right now is enjoying the work that
they're doing," said Lucas.

"They're either having to deny incredibly sick people medicine, or they're
being forced through the courts to supply it unwillingly."

Dana Hanson, president of the Canadian Medical Association, said doctors
would be more supportive if all people receiving cannabis were enrolled in
clinical trials.

"I think it's a missed opportunity. Everyone could learn from this as to the
pros and cons."