Brian Carlisle’s Letter to Health Canada

A Letter Well Worth Reading

Today I was sent a link on Facebook to the following letter from Brian Carlisle to the Minister of Health.

He too has a way with words (much more politely than I) but I think he gets his point across to the recipient and I probably just piss them off. I asked for his permission to publish it in my Blog and he agreed. Others besides Friends should see it.

Enjoy a well written request for consideration from a Canadian citizen in need of an affordable Medical Marijuana source. This should have been a petition signed and backed by all of us Licensees instead of a Lone Soldier request for recognition and help. Read on.

To: consultations-marihuana@hc-sc.gc.ca
Controlled Substances and Tobacco Directorate
Health Canada
Mail Room, Federal Records Centre - Bldg. 18
1st Floor, 161 Goldenrod Driveway, Tunney's Pasture
Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9
December 27, 2012

Re: Input on MMAR /MMPR proposed changes

Dear Minister of Health,
As a MMAR licensee, and person with permanent disabilities, I am deeply fearful regarding the proposed changes the MMAR /MMPR regulations. Specifically I must protest the issues of out of pocket payment patient cost for the medical marihuana. The current proposals by Health Canada to only allow medical marijuana to be produced for profit, at a price point those producers set, will be unconstitutional and a violation of section 7 and section 12 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for any patient in my similar circumstance (including my wife Shannon Carlisle) without the financial means to afford their medications in Canada. Especially patients who require large dosages and multiple strains of dosages for their numerous and chronic health symptoms which will result in their inability to any access their prescribed medication under our Canadian system of universal health Care. Any changes made to the Health Canada medical marijuana program must include alternatives to any profit driven system of production to ensure continued medical marihuana access by Canada’s 26,000 + constitutionally legal medical marihuana users.
In the R v Mernagh decision the court found that physicians in Canada have effectively boycotted the existing medical marijuana program, and therefore the program itself was unconstitutional. Health Canada's response does nothing to address this boycott beyond the promise of making information accessible to physicians. I personally have a team of highly skilled specialists overseeing my care who are also concerned with Health Canada failure to address this issue.
Many Patient and their designated growers have spent thousands of dollars and years of time setting up and or running their production facilities. Many court cases including; Sfetkopolous, Beren and Hitzig have found that denying patient’s production licenses on arbitrary grounds without an adequate effective, MSP covered supply, would continue to violate a patient's constitutional rights to access medical marijuana. In circumstances such as requirements for multiple and or strain specificity any changes to the Health Canada MMAR / medical marijuana program must include the preservation of personal and or designated production.
The proposals by Health Canada constitute less than a bad faith response to court orders, they represent outright defiance. The current proposals do not meet the needs of medical marijuana patients in Canada, and will result in a further restriction of patient access to medical marijuana. I call upon Health Canada to create a patient expert review committee and widespread stakeholder meetings then return to the drawing board and come up with a constitutionally viable program which Canadians can be proud.
Sincerely,
Brian Carlisle A.A.
Marijuana Researcher / Expert Witness / Consultant
MMAR Licensed Patient / MMAR stakeholder 2000

The Bias in Health Canada’s Medical Marijuana Data Base

Health Canada Information for Health Care Professionals

 http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/marihuana/med/infoprof-eng.php#a4_6_5

This is presented to the Medical Community as Health Canada’s up to date state of the art information regarding the medical efficacy of cannabis related to various complaints or ailments where its use was indicated. I wanted to determine just how much propaganda rather than factual information was presented.

The information is presented as a list of 30 different symptoms and conditions and Health Canada’s assessment of the Medical Evidence: the response of each, and its variants, to cannabis treatment. These conditions are:

Alzheimer's disease and dementia                        dermatitis, psoriasis, pruritus

Anorexia nervosa                                                     loss of appetite (AIDS and cancer

Anti-neoplastic properties                                      Movement disorders

Asthma                                                                       Multiple sclerosis

Bladder dysfunction                                                 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Cancer pain                                                               spinal cord injury

Dystonia                                                                     Nausea and vomiting

Epilepsy                                                                     Neuropathic pain

Fibromyalgia                                                              Non-cancer pain

Headache                                                                  Parkinson's disease

Huntington's disease                                               Psychiatric disorders

Hypertension                                                            Rheumatoid arthritis

Inflammation                                                              Tourette's syndrome

bowel disease (Crohn's disease, colitis)              Wasting syndrome

For every one of these symptoms or conditions there are studies that usually show an indication or sometimes marked improvement. This is usually negated by sample size, dosage, duration, or mode of application. The fact is that nearly all the research into cannabis effects in the past ten years is directed at determining the effect of the individual components: the cannabinoids. This specificity has severed their applicability when applied to the whole plant i.e. the multiple cannabinoids involved are never administered as the medical “cocktail” they compose when consumed all at once by smoking a joint or eating a hash brownie.

And there the Government leaves us hanging.

What stands out to me and every other knowledgeable person is that they neglect to point out the most important fact of all: the complete absence of negative side effects.

There is not one substantiated linkage of cannabis use as harmful or detrimental to the user in the 4800 year history of its use and abuse. The first recorded use of cannabis as medicine is in Chinese pharmacopoeia in 2727 B.C. To my knowledge and lacking in any literature related to cannabis is there any mention of negative side effects in that 4800 year history. In every part of the world humankind has used cannabis for a wide variety of health problems yet here in Canada we have a Medical Community now balking at being Gatekeepers in the new program. Here goes more argument and negotiation that is simply sheer obstructionism.

Dr. Anna Reid, President of the CMA is opposed on the ground that there aren’t enough long term statistically validated clinical studies and there are too many unknown risks in prescribing marijuana. She apparently believes that 10 years scientific employment and research grants for long term statistically validated clinical studies will provide a better predictor of future risks of marijuana use than what? The complete absence of risk or harm for half the history of civilization is statistically insignificant.

Bullshit! What about the risk of prescribing a drug that has passed all these statistically validated clinical studies? Big Pharma spent millions and millions creating fake THC substitutes named Sativex and Marinol and the Medical community has no qualms about prescribing these as safe. They completely ignore the warnings that go with these drugs and the severity of these potential killers:

Every doctor who prescribes it as Health Canada recommends is violating his Hippocratic Oath to “First, Do no Harm!” and is thrusting his patient directly into Harm’s Way. They have all been exposed to the following extract from a Sativex product monograph regarding possible side effects and their severity and the risks are listed.

Although most of the side effects listed below don't happen very often, they could lead to serious problems if you do not check with your doctor or seek medical attention.
Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:

• anxiety
• blurred vision
• confusion
• fainting
• falls, or difficulty with balance
• hallucinations (seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there) or strange ideas
• intoxication (a feeling of being drunk; e.g., difficulty paying attention, dizziness, sleepiness, disorientation, changes in mood, a feeling of unreality, or a feeling of general happiness or a "high," such as easy laughter or heightened awareness)
• loss of appetite
• mouth sores
• rapid heartbeat
• severe dizziness
• severe tiredness
• signs of depression (e.g., poor concentration, changes in weight, changes in sleep, decreased interest in activities, thoughts of suicide)
• blood in the urine
• inability to urinate, bladder pain, or abdominal pain
• signs of a severe allergic reactions (e.g., hives; difficulty breathing; or swelling of the tongue, face, mouth, or throat)

Stop taking the medication and seek immediate medical attention if any of the following occur:

• blood in the urine
• inability to urinate, bladder pain, or abdominal pain
• signs of a severe allergic reactions (e.g., hives; difficulty breathing; or swelling of the tongue, face, mouth, or throat)

Some people may experience side effects other than those listed. Check with your doctor if you notice any symptom that worries you while you are taking this medication.

Now why would I think

the CMA

might have political rather than medical

reason for obstructionism?

It’s that barnyard odour when Anna Reid speaks for the CMA.

Now there’s something to research Lady

What effect does cannabis have on Halitosis?

LOL

Blaine Barrett

The Smee Goan Guy

My Advice to the Liberal Leadership

My Advice to the Liberal Leadership

Is this good advice or not?

Today I got a thing from Liberal Candidate Marc Garneau’s people asking what the Liberal Leadership Candidates should be paying attention to: So I told them.

I was Asked:

“Why are you supporting Marc? What issues do you think Marc should address in this leadership race?”

I Answered:

I am not yet supporting Marc but trying to decide who to support.

I'd like one of the leadership candidates come right out and protest the commercialization of Medical Marijuana because I won't be able to afford it. It's a travesty and the press is swallowing the government line. Now they've got a full scale PR assault to sway public opinion and I've not heard one politician get on the pulpit and blast the bastards. Nobody seems to realize that the bastards just delayed the whole process indefinitely. Forget the promise date, their demand that doctors act as Gatekeepers will not fly. Simple Obstruction: Demand = Delay!

I can't begin to emphasize how important it is to keep pot affordable for needy people. The majority of licensees are at or near poverty level. For Harpo, to think they can float the bullshit profit projections and taxes on their back is stretching the imagination to its limit.

Marc can get my vote if he simply stands up at Question Period and asks Leona what the hell she is trying to pull off. To hell with Roberts Rules of order and the Mr. Speaker crap. Ask her directly and don't stop until she bloody well flees. Stop the bullshit and lies they are spreading and you'll have my vote and support and probably that of every other toker in Canada. What the hell, the country would like nothing better than to turn on the TV and see you or Justin pull a Pierre and tell them loudly to "Stop the F**king Bullshit and try telling the truth." There's nothing to lose and national fame and exposure will follow. Doubt me. Try it.

I dare you!

Blaine Barrett

TheSmeeGoanGuy

at

http://Goan-Smee.Blogspot.ca

Medical Marijuana with TheSmeeGoanGuy

A Comment re a Comment

Finally Somebody Noticed!

Today I was please to get a comment from one of the journalists I’ve been taking aim at with my Posts about lousy, incomplete, biased media coverage and journalistic indifference to reality.

This lady had the smarts to realize she’s not the direct target and was kind enough to contribute the following Comment to which I felt compelled to reply following:

Comment From Elizabeth Thompson  ipolitics.ca

Re: More Health Canada Manipulated Media Bull!

Interesting comments on what promises to be a lively debate across Canada. At the risk of letting facts get in the way of a good conspiracy theory, though, the story isn't the result of a PR push by the government - in fact they are probably not thrilled that some of us read the weekly Canada Gazette where they legally have to give notice of proposed regulatory changes. I believe the minister may be planning to formally announce the proposed changes Sunday - giving Canadians a couple of fewer days to voice their opinions during the 75 day period for commenting.

Elizabeth Thompson

PS - the ads pop up on the site randomly. The next time you'll probably get a totally different ad for a totally different group

My Comment in Reply to That

Hello there Elizabeth

Unfortunately you are only the latest in a series of reporters who have managed to gain my attention

Sort of an apology I guess? I appreciate the comment but I just took another look at the link to you and there now is a cry-baby ad for some guy named Tika hovering over your head. You’re somebody’s target my dear. Big Pharma?.

It doesn’t matter what the Government says now, they’ve already set medical marijuana on the back burner until probably after the next election. Their now insistent demand that Doctors be Gatekeepers has guaranteed that the CMA’s opposition as already stated by Dr. A. Reid the CMA President, the number of doctors willing to sign has dried up and now Doctors are the bad guys holding things up and Harpo’s off the hook. I have no doubt this will be followed by series of problems with the awarding of contracts and subsequent bankruptcy’s when no-one will or can’t pay $15/gram for medication.

I am sorry for slapping at you but I just can’t understand why the national media you represent don’t seem to see the big picture or want to know what is wrong? If you think I’m out of touch: where is the answer to my question about legal justification of the mass invasion of medical files with one warrant.

You don’t seem to notice the little details that are there. You have no idea what the answer is and what pisses me off is that none of your compatriot investigative journalists has the curiosity to try to help find out. The only on not afraid to speak his mind is Rex Murphy, god bless him, and I wish I could get him to stick his nose into this. I think he shares my paranoia about our government!

One other little known fact: The cops had advance information and knew exactly what files they were looking for before they even entered Dr. Kamermans office. That is quite obvious from the less than minimum time they took to sort out all the 4000+ files of Medpot applicants out of approx 4800 files in the office. I was informed by a witness that it took only 6 hours from Swat team entry of the office to file removal. I question the human possibility to do that. Allow 1 hour for assault invasion and orientation to the crime scene that leaves

4800 files with 20 cops nosing through them equals 240 per cop with 5 hrs to examine them equals 75 seconds per file of uninterrupted sequencing, no Tim Horton’s, or barley sandwiches no breaks at all. I have a background that at one time involved Time and Motion study and that is simply beyond reality. 

The fact that a number of cops at the scene were outside creating the law enforcement spectacle they wanted, or had been sent away because they would just get in the way. The half dozen guys left, armed with the computer lists and CD’s with top secret information diverted illegally from Health Canada’s files had no problem in probably doing it in half the time. The other half spent packing them up, donuts, coffee and finally carting them off.

I realize I’m not being very nice and I don’t really give a damn. If you feel offended or misjudged, do something to prove me wrong. In the mean time you’re part of those who I think are failing to honour a journalist’s responsibility to observe the same oath as that sworn by Dr. Kamermans “First do no harm!” before you shoot your mouth off. He could not turn his back on the harm being done by 67000 other Canadian doctors and once started it snowballed.

I don’t know how yet but I intend to try to wake up every Canadian voter to the reality of what a deceptive vindictive bunch of Harper sycophants we have in office. If that means giving the national media a good hard poke in the ass with a sharp stick to interrupt their daydreams so be it. I don’t know when but there’s another one due.

You’re safe now Elizabeth I’ve got other targets to attend to

Best regards

Blaine Barrett

TheSmeeGoanGuy

More Health Canada Manipulated Media Bull!

Or

How Much News Can Big Pharma Buy?

S’mee again:

Friday, December 14, 2012

Today I got a Google alert. I got all excited at the prospect of finding out what future plans Health Canada has for Medical Marijuana they announced today.

I got a rude goddamn awakening, it’s f**king near propaganda

http://www.ipolitics.ca/2012/12/14/health-canada-getting-out-of-the-marijuana-trade/

I clicked on a link to the author I should warn you that if you hover over the banner ad above her picture and decide to watch, you get a straight sob story by a young man suffering from neurological pain. He ends his tale with a plea for a miracle drug to be developed. I guess it’s just common sense to assume that the answer is going to come from

Canada’s Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies 

  who paid for the nasty little pop-out.

Hardly one thing noted in this whole article is news. Most of it has been bitched about over and over in this Blog ever since I began it last Christmas.  What makes it more interesting is that it seems to be a real PR push by the Harper Crew! A virtually identical article just popped up on 680News site! And at least 20 other papers-Coast to Coast,

It starts out stating the intention and purpose of the changes to the MMAR as being:

1. Make it easier to obtain by patients?
2. Provide more options re Physician support?
3. Result in an insignificant price increase?

Three Lies or Distortions of the truth to start off with

1.      The new system will result in prices that will be out of reach to the majority of those who need it

2.       They just destroyed 99% of any chance of finding a Practitioner since they are now in the process of victimizing Dr. Rob Kamermans for simply signing applications! A very effective deterrent.

3.      Any reduction in the cost of running the program is simply transferred back to the buyer who can’t afford the price now. Note the departure to fantasy with the knowledge that the current price of pot is between $1.80/g and $5/g. Dreamers!

The next departure from reality is the list of risks that currently exist. This I believe was a plagiarized version of Len Garis justification for Surrey’s Prohibitive Insurmountable By-laws.

They once more stress the doctors they just scared sh*tless are supposed to now be supportive.

They conclude the article with a sketchy list of the overhead burden Government Regulatory Compliance Costs but to this add the profit motive and greed of the approved contractors plus a ridiculous tax like the 25% Washington proposition. I see a price level well above the $10 high quality price now current. Where the hell did that $1.80/g come from?

What do you make of this article? Tepid media coverage?

I make it almost the temp of a good stream of urine!

Lukewarm at best.

Why would I make a stupid analogy like that?

Because it’s not stupid!

Think Creatively!

They both result in empty cavities!

One your bladder the other your brain!

There is no input of knowledge at all from the article!

It’s a rote recital of lies

I was right at the start.

 It’s

Propaganda!

Until next time

Blaine Barrett

TheSmeeGoanGuy

Just One Simple Question I asked my MP

I Couldn’t Get Answers from Anyone in Power!

 Maybe my MP can ask for me?

What the hell.

I’ve got nothing to lose- So I asked him today

My Letter to My MP.

Subject: Violations of Medical Confidentiality

To: jasbir.sandhu@parl.gc.ca    Cc: daryl.kramp@parl.gc.ca

To: The Honourable Jasbir Sandhu Member of Parliament: Surrey North

                                                        

Cc: The Honourable Daryl Kramp          Member of Parliament: Prince Edwards- Hastings

From: Blaine Barrett, 10202-149St, Surrey, BC V3R 3Z8

Re: The seizure, retention and invasion of Dr. Rob Kamermans Medical Files.

Dear Mr. Sandhu:

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of meeting you at your constituency office, and introduced myself as a Medical Marijuana Advocate. I wanted to find out how much you knew about the problems Licensees were facing with the revision of the Marihuana Medical Access Regulations underway. I can’t say I was overly impressed but here’s a chance to redeem yourself in the eyes of a whole bunch of sick people who need help.

In addition to being a MM advocate I am also a Licensee of the MMAP. As such, I feel that the personal Private information contained in my Medical File is under threat of invasion by the Harper Government. If the Kamermans seizure is allowed to go unchallenged it will set an abominable precedent for a police state.

Jan 26 of this year, a combined SWAT team of RCMP and OPP stormed the office of Dr. Rob Kamermans in Coe Hill, Ontario, arrested him, then seized and removed 4000+ Confidential Medical Records for later examination. They performed this mass invasion of privacy in complete violation of what I understood the law to be regarding third party access to a patient file.

I have checked the Policy positions of both the Canadian Medical Association and the College of Physicians of Ontario regarding Confidentiality of Patient files. Both of these Policies stress that disclosure of the contents is only by reason of medical necessity as determined by the Physician, but Third Party Access is only permitted on the basis of a warrant for that file.

I want to know what Statute, Law or Regulation justifies such a mass seizure on the basis of a single warrant related to only the Doctor’s conduct. There is no linkage between conduct and patient file contents unless the conduct is that of the patient, not the Doctor.

I have requested the same information from Federal and Provincial Privacy Agencies, the CMA, the CPSO, Justice, Canadian Defence Lawyers, the RCMP and the OPP. Most won’t even acknowledge receipt much less attempt to answer.

I realize you won’t have the answer at your fingertips which is why I copied The Honourable Daryl Kramp, the Harper Government member for Prince Edwards-Hastings. Perhaps he can throw light on the matter but somehow I think it’s another “No Comment” question for him.

 It is his government persecuting Dr. Kamermans, a respected physician and one of his constituents, in his constituency. Mr. Kramp hasn’t even commented and the SWAT team tactics of the local OPP bullies have got nearly all Coe Hill residents living in a state of fear.

I have managed to contact a number of local residents who support the Doctor, the Wallaston Township Council among them. They all smell something rotten, are appalled at the treatment accorded him, but are a afraid to comment for fear of reprisals. Maybe you can ask him in Question Period to see if skulduggery is involved? If there is I’ll make his constituents aware of it, I promise. It seems they are now living in a police state and they don’t much like it.

Thank you for your time and consideration. All I want to know is the legal grounds that can justify such an action. Are mine and all other Canadians secrets and privacy secure in our Medical Files or must we now keep secrets from our doctor and jeopardize our medical treatment?

In anticipation of your response

Best regards

Blaine Barrett

TheSmeeGoanGuy

SLIME!- Everybody missed it except Max.

Everybody Missed It Except Max!

 Finally Fox News bunch has had their drawers pulled right down to their knees and the shit they’ve been hiding is in plain view. They are not only liars, its not spontaneity, its intentional sanctioned creation of fictional news with a predetermined goal. This fact was finally established as gospel with evidence in the form of a video on of all places YouTube. The video is not the production of investigative journalism that you would expect from their major network rivals and opponents.

It’s the work of this guy

 

Introducing Max Montrose

Max is a Facebook Friend and fellow marijuana advocate down in Colorado and he got lucky. Max was invited to and participated in a Fox News Production detailing the testing of marijuana impaired drivers to determine if they posed an increased road hazard to others. Max is a crafty fellow and managed to go through the test with a “Spy Camera” and then he edited it into a YouTube 10 minute expose of the lying bastards at work.

The production was based on a series of tests that were intentionally designed to indicate a far greater degree of impairment than reality would have yielded. Fox News management sanctioned the creation of  a deliberately distorted farce to be presented as fact, backing it up by their reputation as a reliable source of supposedly accurate, impartial (Tea Party reasoning) news coverage. What a line of horse puckey that turned out to be.

I’m not going to waste time on words as to the significance of all this, time for that later. I’m shutting down so you can go and enjoy the video. You can find it at 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBC_8zSYjOs&sns=fb

I think Max should get a Hero of the Week recognition but he won’t. Every big shot network journalist  will be so pissed off they were scooped, they’d shoot that proposal down in flames. Vanity and ego rule at all the big networks. Max stuck a weenie little needle into a huge hot air balloon and what emerged smells like beer farts. Enjoy the flick.

Blaine Barrett.

TheSmeeGoanGuy