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Medical Marijuana Access Regulations
Thursday, September 24, 2009
InstructionsHistoryStep 1: Canada's Medical Marijuana Access Regulations were passed in 2001 with the goal of providing medical cannabis to patients in need of alternative medicine. Over the last few decades, however, countries have started implementing medical marijuana programs that allow legal access to standardized cannabis. For example, Spain, the Netherlands, Britain, Italy and Ireland all have distinctions between "hard" drugs (like heroin and cocaine) and "soft drugs" (such as codeine and opium). In each of these countries marijuana falls into the latter category, and its possession and use have been decriminalized. In the U.S. several states have legalized the medical use of marijuana as a treatment for certain illnesses.
EffectsStep 1: Medical Marijuana Access Regulations allow registered patients to use medical marijuana without fear of legal persecution. To become a patient requires an application that details what condition the marijuana will be used to treat, and a doctor's visit that confirms this diagnosis. Once registered, the patient has three options for obtaining marijuana. First, he can obtain a license that permits him to grow his own personal supply. Second, a patient can obtain a license that will let another individual grow a supply of marijuana for him. Finally, every patient has the right to purchase marijuana directly from Health Canada.
BenefitsStep 1: Marijuana has been used as a medicinal herb for thousands of years, and modern medicine has discovered many more uses for the marijuana plant. For patients who experience nausea and have trouble eating due to treatment for a chronic illness (like chemotherapy), marijuana has been shown to increase an individual's appetite. The MMAR allows these patients to use and grow marijuana within a legal framework.
MisconceptionsStep 1: The Medical Marijuana Access Regulations passed in Canada do not endorse generalized legalization of marijuana. Rather, they were enacted for the sole purpose of protecting patients who seek marijuana as a form of treatment for serious illness. Many people also falsely believe that medical marijuana patients are just looking for a legal way to "get high." Patients who are covered under the MMAR are usually victims of chronic illness or injury (HIV, cancer, spinal cord injury, etc.) who use marijuana to complement traditional treatments.
American LawsStep 1: American laws regarding medical marijuana are more varied and conflicting than the MMAR in Canada. United States federal law lists marijuana sale, growth or possession as a felony, and being charged with any of these usually brings fines and probation (sometimes jail time). Some states, however, have passed their own laws to decriminalize personal possession or legalize medical use. Although this means that local and state law enforcement officers cannot prosecute an individual in one of these states, federal agents can still do so.
Photo/Video CreditCanada's Medical Marijuana Access Regulations (MMAR) decriminalize marijuana use for citizens warranted arrest (Flickr).
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