MONTREAL -- Ottawa's much-anticipated legislation aimed at decriminalizing
small amounts of marijuana would still end up punishing those who need the
drug for medical purposes, an advocate for medicinal cannabis said Monday.

"This scheme is essentially picking on poor people," Hilary Black,
spokesman for the British Columbia Compassion Club Society, told a news
conference.

"People who are ill tend to be living in the most poverty."

They are often forced to choose between food and marijuana because the
current laws often force users to pay street prices of between $150 to $300
per ounce, said Black.

"The cost of medicinal cannabis right now is closer to the cost of gold
than it is to the cost of tomatoes, which in terms of production costs is
what it should be closer to," said Black.

Black suggested that health care insurance help subsidize medicinal
marijuana, the same way that prescription drugs are covered.

The federal government is expected to unveil legislation this week aimed at
decriminalizing possession of marijuana in amounts below 15 grams.

Decriminalization does not legalize marijuana possession. But instead of
mandatory court appearances and the risk of a criminal record, offenders
could face fines similar to traffic violations.

Health Canada currently allows approved patients to smoke marijuana to
relieve pain and nausea associated with illnesses such as multiple
sclerosis, Crohn's disease and hepatitis.