ROCK GOES POTTY

One thing that can be predicted with certainty in Canadian politics, almost
anything Allan Rock touches turns to pot. Jean Chretien's accident-prone
health minister has already left a long string of wrecks in his wake.

Some of the low points of Rock's career include the Airbus affair, the
national gun registry and the steadfast refusal to compensate hepatitis C
victims. The latest fiasco saw Rock appear to break Canada's patent law by
ordering anthrax-fighting drugs from a Winnipeg company that didn't own the
rights.

It looks like his headline-grabbing move to allow the use of marijuana for
medicinal purposes is headed in the same direction. The claim that
marijuana consumption has provided some chronic pain sufferers with a
degree of relief is the stated reason why Rock allowed it to go ahead.

The political purpose, of course, is something entirely different. Rock,
who once was being billed as a rising Liberal star, has seen his career go
sideways lately. Little wonder, considering the number of times he has hit
the ditch.

The issue of decriminalizing marijuana has a long history going back to the
hippie era of the 1960s. Whether there is an old hippy vote out there
that's ready to rally around Rock is uncertain.

Before it even gets that far, Rock has a more immediate problem on his
hands over his pot policy. In Canada, human medicine is the most important
school of applied science in the country.

Professionals in the field undergo intensive university training and are
licensed and governed by meticulous disciplinary bodies dedicated to making
absolutely sure that the "practice" of medicine is about as perfect as it
can be.

The pharmaceutical industry is subject to similar scrutiny and must undergo
rigorous, controlled research and testing to prove to the federal
government that their products are not only effective, but absolutely safe.

It's little wonder the Canadian Medical Protective Association is warning
doctors against prescribing marijuana.

The Alberta Medical Association quite wisely issued a similar caution.

Requiring doctors to prescribe marijuana puts an "unacceptable burden" on
the physician who has little or no scientific research at his fingertips to
determine simple things like dosages, treatable ailments or length of
treatment.

All other prescription drugs have had the benefit of thorough,
government-mandated scientific research and testing.

It appears large numbers of Canadian doctors don't want anything to do with
Health Minister Rock's pot party. We don't blame them.