MS SUFFERER ACCUSES OTTAWA OF DRAGGING ITS HEELS

Already fighting a battle with multiple sclerosis, Alison Myrden says she's
tired of having to battle Health Canada, too.

The Burlington resident, and federal medical marijuana exemptee, says the
government is dragging its heels when it comes to producing a reliable,
affordable source of marijuana for chronic pain sufferers. Since 1999,
almost 700 Canadians have been given exemptions to possess medical marijuana.

"I am still buying my medicine from the street; I am still spending up to
$1,200 every month," she said. "Nothing has changed, the government still
doesn't have a source for me."

Myrden, 38, was diagnosed with MS in 1992, but says she has suffered from
its symptoms since she was a teenager.

Myrden says because of the disease she has a debilitating pain in her face;
pain that used to mean taking 32 prescription pills and 600 milligrams of
morphine each day. Now she smokes a few grams of marijuana instead of the
pills to relieve the symptoms. It's become a way of life for her.

"The pain in my face is so excruciating that if I don't catch it in time
with marijuana, no pills will work," she said. "It's not just about smoking
pot, it's about quality of life."

For its part, Health Canada has been moving, however slowly, to create a
environment where patients like Myrden will be able to access medicinal
marijuana.

Following years of lobbying, the federal government, in 1999 under Health
Minister Allan Rock, set out guidelines for exempting people like Myrden
from the criminal charges associated with possession of marijuana. Last
July, Health Canada subsequently set out medical marijuana access
regulations that included application processes for three groups of
potential exemptees.

Group 1 is for people who suffer from life-threatening diseases and have a
life expectancy of fewer than 12 months. Group 2 consists of people
suffering from chronic illnesses like AIDS, cancer and MS. Group 3 is a
catch-all category for people suffering chronic pain from diseases not
named in the first two groups.

The government also contracted a private, Saskatchewan-based company called
Prairie Plant Systems to grow a government supply of marijuana in an
abandoned mine in Flin Flon, Man.

Myrden says she's happy to at least have her exemption but is anxious to
know exactly when the government is going to come through with a steady,
safe and effective supply of pot.

"I haven't had one call from Health Canada offering medicine from Flin
Flon," she said.

But Andrew Swift, a spokesperson for Health Canada, says Myrden isn't the
only one who hasn't been contacted about the government's pot supply. He
says no one has because neither the marijuana, nor the distribution system
to administer it, is available yet.

"We are working with Prairie to develop the manufacturing and processing
requirements," Swift said. "Our expectation is this will take some time and
the timeline is not arbitrary, it's based on a scientific process."

According to Swift, the government eliminated a major barrier for medicinal
marijuana by creating the exemptions and continues to work quickly to ready
its supply of medical pot. But since marijuana has never been used as a
prescription drug in this country, ironing out the logistics is
time-consuming. And, adds Swift, once the pot is ready, Health Canada is
going to want to maintain contact with users for study purposes.

"The marijuana will be used for research purposes," Swift said. "We've done
funding into research into the effectiveness of medical marijuana. At this
point really it's all anecdotal. There's no real science behind the
effectiveness of marijuana."

Myrden says she doesn't need a study to realize the effectiveness of using
pot as medicine and there's no need for any further studies for people like
her once the federal pot supply is made available.

"That's how we got our exemptions in the first place; because we are really
sick." she said. "I cannot go without it."

Too bad, says Swift. Medical marijuana users will be subject to Health
Canada monitoring.

Adding to the stress associated with waiting for her drugs, says Myrden, is
the worry that federally-supplied medicinal marijuana might not be potent
enough to ease her pain.

After smoking a certain type of marijuana for years, Myrden has become what
users call strain specific and is worried the government's pot won't
contain a high enough concentration of THC to make her pain go away. (THC
is the active ingredient in marijuana; the higher THC, the greater its effect).

Myrden is also concerned about the quality of marijuana grown in what used
to be a mine. She fears it may contain traces of heavy metals -- metals she
does not want to inhale.

Swift, however, said the marijuana is being grown in a controlled system
with adequate THC content. And he said Prairie Plant Systems had to comply
with federal safety standards in the contracting process and is confident
the marijuana will be free of dangerous metals.

Still, Myrden is skeptical and frustrated. It's been a long fight for her
and a group of medical marijuana advocates who operate a Web-based network
of support at www.themarijuanamission.com. She knows she needs marijuana to
be comfortable and can't understand why a federally-sponsored supply is not
yet ready.

"We should be able to go to the pharmacy and get it," she said. "It can't
cost more than $2 to grow an ounce. It's like growing tomatoes."