2014 - What’s
Ahead?
Let me look!
Not a lot of good!
What have we got for openers Jan
1, 2014?
A Slap in the Face
from Health Canada for Starters
We’ve got a
Government determined to cash in on Marijuana profits at the expense of the patients
who need it for Medical relief. The Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations
have little or no relevancy or help for Doctors or Patients. The rules are laid
down; both become casualties to greed and are dumped. 90% of the pages and
regulations of the MMPR are concerned with the operation of a bloated, over
regulated micro-managed commercial enterprise doomed to failure.
Why do I
come to this conclusion?: Because I found this recent ultimatum from Health
Canada to the College od Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario on Christmas Eve posted as Comment
#49 in the CPSO Consultation Discussions.
The Comment
did not identify the source only the text.
• Dec 10, 2013
College of
Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
Policy
Department
80 College Street
Toronto, Ontario
M5G2E2
Feedback re: Medical Marjjuana
Policy
Introduction:
Health Canada has determined that the Marihuana
Medical Access Regulations (MMAR) Program will be completed by March
31, 2014
and in its place will remain the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations
(MMPR) program. The MMPR program is quite different from the MMAR in a number
of ways.
Health Canada:
- Health Canada will no longer require that
specialized forms be completed by physicians on behalf of patients.
- Health Canada will no longer be supplying medical
marijuana for sale to patients.
-Health Canada will now be licensing private
producers (called Licensed Producers, or LPs) who meet strict standards to grow
and sell medical marijuana directly to patients who obtain a prescription-like
"medical document" from their physician.
Patients:
- Patients
are no longer separated into 2 categories based on their medical diagnoses.
- Patients
will no longer be required to have a specialized, Health Canada form completed. Instead, the
patient will be required to obtain a "medical document," similar to a
prescription from a physician.
- Patients
will no longer be able to grow cannabis for their own use.
- Patients
will no longer be able to delegate a third party to grow on their behalf.
- Patients
will no longer be able to purchase medical marijuana from Health Canada.
-The only
route to accessing medical marijuana is for patients to send their
"medical document" directly to a Licensed Producer of their choice
and order medical marijuana to be delivered to their home, or to the office of
their signing physician, if the physician consents to receive this.
1
Physicians:
-
Physicians no longer need to separate patients into two categories based on
their medical diagnoses.
-
Physicians are required to complete an "original document"
(essentially a prescription) in order to allow patients to access medical
marijuana. A specialized form from Health Canada is no longer necessary.
- The
"original document" will be required to include the following
information: Patient Name, Date, DOB, number of grams per day, duration of
prescription (up to 12 months), physician's name, office address, and license
number.
Feedback: Following
are the orders to Doctors by Health Canada. I took the liberty to insert my
comments and posted it as a reply to Comment #49. I hope it survives
moderation.
For crying
out loud I almost feel sympathy for you Doctors. The arrogant a**holes at
Health Canada bark and you’re supposed to comply and
treat your patients like trash.
I beg to
differ with Ottawa as follows:
1)
Physicians should not feel required to prescribe medical marijuana to patients.
Why not? If a patient qualifies and is asking for your help, how
can you refuse? You are causing them harm in violation of your Oath not to by
your refusal! Are you not going to refund the fee for the visit?I thought not!
2) Physicians prescribing medical marijuana should have some
basic knowledge on the medical use of marijuana. Not unless the patient is
new to Cannabis and as ignorant as most physicians. If a patient is using pot,
find out how, then ask, listen and start recording what you observe in
accordance with order #11, #12 and #13 below
3)
Participation in CME should be recommended or even mandatory for those who
choose to prescribe medical marijuana (e.g. attending
conferences,
familiarization with the Health Canada "Information for Health Care
Professionals" document as well as other research studies). The
CME
Continuing Medical Education program at theU of C Faculty of Medicine is just
another bastion of bias. I don’t see them blasting the net to make doctors
aware of any number of acceptable studies favorable to marijuana. One such
prime example is the Harvard Study Cited in the Journal of Schizophrenia
Research
The "Information for
Health Care Professionals" document is a load of misinformation and
distortion it’s better to avoid or you risk nausea.
4) Inform
patients that marijuana is not an approved drug.
Why? Because some
egocentric bastard back in 1923 decided to build a law Empire based on
Classifying it as a Class 1 drug. Bull, that’s simply perpetuating a 70 year
old myth..
5) Discuss
that there is still a lack of clinical evidence for its use.
Bull again! There is any number of recent
current testimonial cures on the Web but nobody from the profession is bothering
to check them out. Many are supported by a Physician statement certifying his
patient’s declaration that he has been cured of Cancer often with diagnostic
evidence that cannot be denied. Now that is something actually constructive The
U of C Faculty of Medicine could do!
6) Discuss
the known risks associated with taking marijuana, including the fact that
certain risks may still be unknown.
There are No Known Risks and the unknown
ones are unknown. What’s to discuss?
7) Prior to
prescribing medical marijuana, ensure that a proper diagnosis of a medical
condition is made.
In combination with # 9 approach you
patients with paranoia. They are all potential criminal and drug addicts and
Health Canada
wants to infect you with that perverted belief!
8) Consider
screening for respiratory illness and heart disease prior to initiating
treatment with medical marijuana.
Why? What justifies this if the patient
has no pre-existing condition that warrants it? Nothing
9) Consider
screening for diversion or use of other drugs of abuse
Simply more paranoia!
1 0)
Discuss alternative treatment options with patients.
If there are any options be sure to
discuss all the side effects and surgery to patients in graphic detail: Don’t
sugar coat what they are going to go through if they follow your advice
11) Start
slow and ensure proper follow up as clinically indicated.
Yes!
12) Develop
ongoing relationship with patient, rather than writing prolonged prescription
with no follow up.
Yes!
13)
Physicians should be encouraged to conduct research studies and collect data in
order to further our understanding of marijuana as medicine.
Yes!
14) A
physician should only agree to accept delivery of medical marijuana for a
patient, if the physician's office is equipped with a safe and secure storage
area to store the marijuana in an organized fashion.
Just put it with your Heroin and
Oxycontin supply on the second shelf of the fridge!
Please let
me know if I can be of further assistance to you in helping
with this
policy.
Ditto
TheSmeeGoanGuy
That will
do for now but I will have more comment and questions regarding the future role
of all the players after the New Year. Doctors, Lawyers,Producers and Media:
all are problems that will have to be dealt with. Fortunately, Christmas is
over and this won’t ruin it for you
Blaine Barrett
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