MCLELLAN WRESTLES OVER POT

SAINT JOHN, N.B. - Health Minister Anne McLellan says she's still
uncomfortable about endorsing medical marijuana without knowing all the
benefits or side effects.

"I feel a certain amount of discomfort around this issue," McLellan said at
the Canadian Medical Association meeting here this week.

Because of the federal government's long-standing campaign against tobacco
smoking, she said she sees some contradiction in its decision to let ill
patients smoke marijuana on a compassionate basis.

But despite her concerns, McLellan told CTV Newsnet yesterday in Chicoutimi,
Que., the federal government was not going to back away from a plan to grow
marijuana for medicinal purposes.

McLellan had said Monday that "clinical trials in relation to medical
marijuana are absolutely key" before approving the drug.

Last year, the federal government, under then-health minister Allan Rock,
approved limited use of marijuana. Doctors were given the power to prescribe
marijuana, but many have resisted, saying they don't know what is the proper
dosage, the long-term effects and they don't want to bear the liability.