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RE: medical marijuana progress or bust?
From: David DuBois (dubois-50@hotmail.com)
Sent: January 12, 2008 1:21:54 PM
To: Blanche's Bookkeeping (blanche-50@hotmail.com)
Cc: jay (blessedlunatic@hotmail.com); jamesgsud@hotmail.com; Crimson son (crimson-son@hotmail.com)
Hi Jari,
Thank you for keeping me in the loop. I would like to resond to your concerns and then as a participant in the process give some of my personal experiences that perhaps substantiates your claims regarding Health Canada if that is ok.
Perhaps a short introduction of who I am and what my involvement has been with the process and why I think it would be a shame for you to end your involvement. I stopped off in the library and just wanted to let u know some of my ideas and perhaps tommorrow morning have some rough letters of response to the process.
three things pop in my head that I would like to address
1) my commitment to a norhern ontario compassion centre
2) my experience with the distribution process (6 mos address change and then sent to the original address)
3) distribution process as a whole (why not the acceptabe form of pharmaceutials)
Looking forward to communicating further.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: blanche-50@hotmail.com
To: dubois-50@hotmail.com
Subject: FW: medical marijuana progress or bust?
Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2008 09:15:36 -0500
PO Box 814, Station F,
Toronto, ON M4Y 2N7
Guaranteed Same Day Service T1 General
(416) 763-9944
www.blanchesbookkeeping.com
Blanche's
Bookkeeping
"Be relaxed...not TAXED"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: dvorakj@sympatico.ca
To: MRenda2503@aol.com; jsprague@sympatico.ca; kodie@rogers.com; louise.binder@sympatico.ca; blessedlunatic@hotmail.com; jwakeford@dccnet.com; gemsnake@sympatico.ca; dguest@rogers.com; ztengra@rogers.com; andrew@andrew-kim.com; blanche-50@hotmail.com; ericleggatt@zipittydo.com; j.duravetz@sympatico.ca; dr.colin.kovacs@on.aibn.com
Subject: medical marijuana progress or bust?
Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2008 14:10:09 -0500
Hi
Finally I got a reply from the Canadian AIDS Society to my resignation letter. My resignation from CAS group was prompted by what I see as a CAS bias towards the medical marijuana compassion clubs. The response came from Gail Flintoft, the CAS Board Chair. Gail dismisses my concern about bias. But she does indicate that CAS intends to do more to promote the legal Health Canada marijuana supply.
At a fist glance the CAS letter leaves me somehow disappointed. It also leaves me slightly optimistic that the subject is getting attention and that perhaps there will be some movement.
What does make me feel hopeful is that the response includes a second letter. That one is from Gail to Tony Clement, the Health Minister. This letter supports my assertions that Health Canada is stonewalling all efforts to communicate on improving the Medical Marijuana Access Regulations. Gail agrees and asks to reestablish communication with Health Canada’s staff to discuss this further.
Both letters have been copied to the health critics of political parties.
At this point I have not heard even a peep from Health Canada. Right now I’m considering my response to CAS. It seems like a bit of an opportunity to engage further. The other part is that I’m not that keen on spending more energy on this subject. And would welcome your advice on how to proceed.
Jari
Mr. Jari Dvorak
dvorakj@sympatico.ca
January 10th, 2008
Dear Jari,
I am responding to the letter you sent to the Canadian AIDS Society (CAS)’s Board of Directors, dated December 1st, 2007.
We regret that the Medical Cannabis Working Group did not work out as you had wished and that you chose to resign. I understand that you approached CAS to form this group, and that CAS agreed to provide the teleconference capabilities for the group to meet. It is clear from the Terms of Reference that this group was not a CAS initiative, but that CAS would be willing to tap into its vast network of organizations and individuals to assist the group’s actions. We feel your frustration, but this was the best that we could offer you at the time. As you know, CAS had received some funding in 2005 for a 15 month project to look at the barriers to access to cannabis for medical purposes. That funding ended at the end of June 2006, and we released a report[1]. We continue to endorse the position and recommendations in the report, but we do not have the resources to dedicate personnel on this important issue at this time.
Please note that our position on cannabis for medical purposes is available on our website at www.cdnaids.ca/cannabis. Our position has not changed since we originally drafted it in 1998. It was, however, updated in 2004 to reflect the new situation in Canada with regard to the Marihuana Medical Access Regulations and the federal program that was implemented in 2001.
We favour options for people to obtain cannabis for their medical needs, and share your concerns about the products’ safety and expense. As we indicated in our letter to Minister Clement, we have been vocal about supporting Health Canada’s cannabis as one option for people who are authorized to possess cannabis for medical purposes. In fact, the Cannabis as Therapy report suggests that the negative perception that most of the people we consulted have about Health Canada’s product stems mainly from hearsay and negative press coverage, and very few people had actually tried the product to see whether it is effective for them (page 47).
We have been encouraging people to try Health Canada’s product. We also recommended that Health Canada offer 5 gram samples to each newly authorized person so that they can at least try the product for themselves (see page 48). I was happy to hear about your recent trial of the Health Canada product. We have received Mr. Jay Wagner’s recent article about this experience and are currently discussing the possibility of printing the story in an upcoming CAS newsletter.
We have reviewed the video of our participation in the Cannabis Awareness Forum on April 20th, 2007 and we stand by our Project Consultant Lynne Belle-Isle’s comments. Lynne only mentioned Health Canada’s cannabis in the context of our support of a pharmacy distribution pilot project, which has not yet materialized. She stated that she knows how people feel about this product, referring to the negative perception that prevails, but that CAS feels that pharmacy distribution would be a good option, especially for people who live in remote or isolated areas.
It is clear from our consultations that Health Canada’s cannabis will not meet everyone’s needs, as it is only one strain, and has been gamma-irradiated, which does not meet the criteria for organic certification. For these reasons, we support various options for people to obtain cannabis for their medical needs.
At the Cannabis Awareness Forum, Lynne announced CAS’ excitement to have the British Columbia Compassion Club Society (BCCCS) join CAS as an associate member, and reiterated that we support a not-for-profit, community-based model. CAS’ membership elected to support the BCCCS as an associate member as a large proportion of its members are people living with HIV/AIDS. The BCCCS’ application was thoroughly reviewed to ensure that the organization meets our rigorous standards.
We advocate for and support a not-for-profit, community-based model of distribution of cannabis for medical purposes. Some clubs like the BCCCS are registered charities or societies, accountable to a membership, and managed by a Board of Directors. These organizations meet the criteria we look for. We also support other models that would meet these criteria. The Canadian AIDS Society’s position on these clubs is clearly stated in the report on page 57.
As a result of our consultations, we identified that the costs of cannabis for medical purposes are an important barrier to access for many people living with HIV/AIDS. As the current Marihuana Medical Access Regulations restrict the designated person licenses to produce cannabis for only one person, compassion clubs have not been able to independently produce a supply for their members, which would significantly reduce the cost at which they could offer their products. They currently rely on the black market for their supply and as such have to pay and charge black market prices. Lifting restrictions on licenses to produce and regulating the clubs would significantly address the costs of the product. We have also been advocating that Health Canada reconsider its plan to phase out licenses to produce, as for many people living with HIV/AIDS, producing their own cannabis provides important cost savings.
Health Canada’s product is less expensive than the compassion clubs’ products, though the costs are still prohibitive for many as there is no reimbursement for these costs. The costs of Health Canada’s cannabis can be claimed as a medical expense on one’s income tax return, which makes little or no difference to one’s financial burden. Much work needs to be done to find ways to financially compensate people for these costs. As mentioned, we do not currently have the resources to pursue this effort, but we will gladly support initiatives on this matter.
Sincerely,
Gail Flintoft
Chair
cc: Mr. Tony Clement, Minister of Health
Dr. Carolyn Bennett – Public Health Critic, Seniors, Disabled and Social Economy, Liberal Party of Canada
Mr. Robert Thibault – Health Critic, Liberal Party of Canada
Ms. Judy Wasylycia-Leis – Health Critic, NDP of Canada
Mme. Christiane Gagnon – Health Critic, Bloc Québécois
Mr. Jake Cole – Health Critic, Green Party of Canada
Mr. Tony Clement
The Honorable Minister of Health
Minister’s Office – Health Canada
Brooke Claxton Building, Tunney’s Pasture
Postal Locator 0906C
Ottawa ON
K1A0K9
January 10th, 2008
Minister Clement,
The Canadian AIDS Society has received a copy of the letter that was sent to you by Mr. Jari Dvorak, dated December 1st, 2007, regarding the federal medical cannabis (marihuana) program. I am responding to Mr. Dvorak’s letter to offer some clarifications and correct some misinformation.
We have been vocal about supporting Health Canada’s cannabis as one option for people who are authorized to possess cannabis for medical purposes. In fact, we released a report in June 2006[2] which suggests that the negative perception that most of the people we consulted have about Health Canada’s product stems mainly from hearsay and negative press coverage, and very few people had actually tried the product to see whether it is effective for them. Please consult page 47 of the report, which we have enclosed for your convenience. We have expressed some concerns over the fact that it is gamma irradiated, and that the government only offers one strain of cannabis, which does not meet everyone’s need. We also recommended that Health Canada offer 5 gram samples to each newly authorized person so that they can at least try the product for themselves (see page 48).
Non licensed marijuana suppliers such as compassion clubs or cannabis clubs are currently supplying approximately 10,000 Canadians with cannabis for medical purposes. Not all such clubs are created equal, which is why we advocate for and support a not-for-profit, community-based model of distribution of cannabis for medical purposes. We believe all clubs should be registered charities or societies, accountable to a membership, and managed by a Board of Directors. The Canadian AIDS Society’s position on these clubs is clearly stated in the report on page 57.
As Mr. Dvorak indicates, the costs of cannabis for medical purposes are an important barrier to access for many. As the current Marihuana Medical Access Regulations restrict the designated person licenses to produce cannabis for only one person, compassion clubs have not been able to independently produce a supply for their members, which would significantly reduce the cost at which they could offer their products. They currently rely on the black market for their supply and as such have to pay and charge black market prices. Regulation of these clubs would significantly address the costs of the product.
Health Canada’s product is less expensive than the compassion clubs’ products, though the costs are still prohibitive for many as there is no reimbursement for these costs. The costs of Health Canada’s cannabis can be claimed as a medical expense on one’s income tax return, which requires someone to have an income to be of benefit.
In the summer of 2007, Mr. Dvorak approached the Canadian AIDS Society to start up a working group to look at the barriers that remain to the federal medical cannabis program and to see what steps could be taken by individuals on these issues. The Canadian AIDS Society has very minimal resources to work on these issues, and we offered to supply teleconferencing capabilities for the group to be able to meet. We did explain to Mr. Dvorak that we did not have the resources to take on these issues and that we would do what we can to support the group’s efforts, but that this was not a Canadian AIDS Society initiative.
The group invited a representative from a compassion clubs, one of which is a registered society, to participate in one teleconference to provide more information about the club’s operations. The group also invited Mr. Ronald Denault, Manager of the Marihuana Medical Access Division, both by email and telephone, to participate in one of the teleconferences but our calls and emails were not answered.
Like Mr. Dvorak, the Canadian AIDS Society would like to know why communications with the Marihuana Medical Access Division have ceased. We had a good working relationship with them throughout the production of the Cannabis as Therapy report, and after its release. As the Stakeholder Advisory Committee on Medical Marihuana no longer exists, there is currently no dialogue with Health Canada to continue improving the program so that it may better serve the needs of seriously ill Canadians.
We trust that you can understand Mr. Dvorak’s call for assistance. We have and continue to endeavour to reestablish communication with Health Canada’s staff to discuss this further.
Sincerely,
Gail Flintoft
Chair
CC: Mr. Jari Dvorak
Dr. Carolyn Bennett – Public Health Critic, Seniors, Disabled and Social Economy, Liberal Party of Canada
Mr. Robert Thibault – Health Critic, Liberal Party of Canada
Ms. Judy Wasylycia-Leis – Health Critic, NDP of Canada
Mme. Christiane Gagnon – Health Critic, Bloc Québécois
Mr. Jake Cole – Health Critic, Green Party of Canada
[1] Canadian AIDS Soiety. Cannabis as Therapy for People Living with HIV/AIDS: “Our Right, Our Choice”. June 2006. Available at www.cdnaids.ca/cannabis. The report and its recommendations have been endorsed by 28 organizations to date.
[2] Canadian AIDS Soiety. Cannabis as Therapy for People Living with HIV/AIDS: “Our Right, Our Choice”. June 2006. Available at www.cdnaids.ca/cannabis. The report was the result of an extensive consultation of 197 people living with HIV/AIDS across Canada, several key stakeholders including public servants, physicians, police, a pharmacist, other HIV/AIDS organizations, and others. The report and its recommendations have been endorsed by 28 organizations to date.
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