STUDY MEDICAL MARIJUANA USE

Re: Medical marijuana worries McLellan, Aug. 20.

The Canadian Pharmacists Association supports federal Health Minister
Anne McLellan's emphasis on the need for further research regarding
the safety and efficacy of medical marijuana.

At the same time, we encourage a proactive process to gather together
the necessary information that will allow informed decision making so
that patients who might benefit from its use will have access to it in
a timely manner.

We agree with the health minister that marijuana should be subject to
the same standards as other prescription drugs.

We appreciate doctors' reluctance to prescribe it without proper
scientific evidence that it provides more benefit than harm.

Work needs to be done to develop a standardized product and to produce
evidence-based guidelines that support physicians' prescribing. In the
meantime, it should still be available to patients on compassionate
grounds.

Last spring, when the Marijuana Medical Access Regulations were
published in Canada Gazette(April 7, 2001), we submitted our concerns
such as control of marijuana, quality and potency of product, safety
and efficacy, access to appropriate care and appropriate
prescribing.

Jeff Poston,

Ottawa,

Executive director, Canadian Pharmacists Association