RED TAPE SLOWS GETTING POT FOR PAIN

SHE PUTS what's left of the joint in the ashtray, sinks back into the couch
and closes her eyes.

Moments ago, she was in such pain that her back was arched and her limbs
were stiff.

Now, she's snuggled into the cushions, wiry frame relaxed, bare feet no
longer twitching.

Even to someone as opposed to drugs as I am, it's hard not to be awed by
the difference in this 40-year-old.

"It still hurts," she murmurs, "but it's not as bad as it could be." Jane
was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis four years ago.

Her husband, Gary Kilburn, stands behind her, stroking her long dark hair.

"In all the years I've lived with Jane," he remarks, "I haven't seen her
stoned."

It's mid-morning and this is her third joint. "I'll be fine until the
afternoon," she murmurs.

When she's having a "good" day, she'll smoke four or five joints. On a bad
day, it'll be twice that.

"I'm not a criminal!" she assures me. "This is not something I do
recreationally!"

Since last November, Jane has had federal permission to have on her person
150 grams of marijuana and to store another 1,125 grams. She's also allowed
to grow 25 plants outside or 10 plants inside.

Sadly, Jane's battle for relief is far from over.

For one thing, there's no legal way for her to obtain the marijuana plants
she needs.

Like a scenario from Alice in Wonderland, Health Canada gives Jane and more
than 800 other Canadians permission to use the drug, but doesn't actually
supply it. Federal experiments with confiscated marijuana plants have run
into problems.

Jane has managed to obtain some seeds and is growing them in buckets. The
problem is, the plants won't be ready for harvesting until next year.

Until then, she must buy from the street and that bothers her.

"Every time I have to buy, I'm trapped," she exclaims. "I'm committing a
crime, but I have no other source to get from."

Buying from dealers means Jane can never be sure of the quality of what
she's getting.

"I've got some really good stuff and some really bad stuff, for which I
paid $280 an ounce."

Her pain is so unrelenting that she needs three to five grams of pot a day,
which means her ounce is gone in a week or less.

To date, Jane estimates she's spent about $10,000 on pot.

"I'm putting it on my tax as medical expenses," she vows in all seriousness.

In the early days of her disease, Jane took a cocktail of prescribed drugs
to ease the debilitating effects of her disease. The side effects were so
severe, however, that she had to stop taking all but one.

Hence the marijuana.

"It eases my pain and gives me an appetite," she says. "It helps me sleep,
helps my mood. I don't feel so sorry for myself any more."

Jane continues to be awed by the effects of the marijuana.

"Six years ago," she relates, "I was bed-bound, wheelchair-bound and I
slept all the time. People had to come and bathe me."

Today, she's better able to care for herself and her family and is even
studying for a degree. She feels she has regained a quality of life she'd
lost to the disease.

Unfortunately, pot permits are valid for only one year, which means Jane
must reapply. And therein lies a big problem.

Originally, permits were granted based on a two-page letter from a family
doctor.

Today, there's a new application process, one involving a 32-page form and
requiring the signature of a pain specialist.

Jane is disheartened. "Who knows more about me than my family doctor," she
fumes.

Frustrated but realistic, she's made an appointment at the pain clinic in
Halifax. Worryingly, the earliest appointment she could get was in 19 months.

"So, what will you do?" I ask.

"I won't stop," she growls.

Jane is lobbying Health Canada fiercely for an extension. The last thing
she wants is to be sent to jail and denied access to the one substance that
helps her. "Guaranteed, I'll come out in a wheelchair and need hospital,"
she growls.

Personally, I doubt it'll come to that. After spending a morning with Jane,
my bet is that Health Canada stands no chance against this tigress.

At least, I hope not.

Postcript: Jane has been granted a one-month extension to her permit with
the likelihood of a further five months to follow.

For more information on the medical use of marijuana, check
http://www.medicalmarihuana.ca/