Doctors wary of prescription pot - Medical associations fear legal problems, heightened office security woes

By: Doug Williamson, Windsor Star, 07/11/03

Linda is in pain and pot makes her feel better.

Approved by her doctor last Christmas to smoke marijuana to ease pain, the 42-year-old Windsor woman had to get it through a group in London where she was living at the time, paying $50 for seven grams of the high-potency illegally grown drug.

The news that doctors soon will be able to prescribe and supply a variety grown by the government is welcome to Linda, who is HIV-positive and has rheumatoid arthritis.

"The marijuana's not as bad as getting hooked on painkillers," she said Thursday. "I think it's great."

But many area doctors may take a wait-and-see attitude toward prescribing medical marijuana, a representative of the Essex County Medical Association cautioned Thursday.

Dr. Dave Paterson, a family doctor and the association's first vice-president, said he for one has no desire right now to prescribe marijuana.

"It's just another thing to worry about," Paterson said, adding many doctors will want more information on prescribing guidelines before they consider patient requests.

The federal government announced this week it will begin making marijuana available to doctors for medicinal purposes as early as next week.

Patients must complete an exhaustive form proving they need the drug, which would be supplied either in crushed leaf or seed form for those who can grow their own, the government said.

"There's no way I'm going to prescribe it until I know what it's for and who qualifies for it and what are the legal ramifications for me," Paterson said, adding he has not received any requests for it in his South Windsor practice.

"I think that some family doctors are going to be very uncomfortable doing this, prescribing it, whatever the evidence (of medical value)," said Dr. Tony Hammer, a family physician who also treats drug abusers.

"There's an aversion to illicit drugs and they might subscribe to the old-fashioned idea that it's a gateway drug," Hammer said. "I think it does have some medicinal value."

The Canadian Medical Association says it will advise doctors not to prescribe marijuana, citing possible liability problems and exposure to danger should someone break into their offices thinking marijuana was stored inside.

Paterson said doctors may be approached by drug abusers trying to con doctors into writing prescriptions.

"There's a lot of seekers of those kinds of medication out there," Paterson said. "They'd better have some pretty serious guidelines because I would expect that we'd have a lot of requests for it."

Fred Pritchard, of the Marijuana Compassion Club of Windsor, said the 10-per-cent cannabis content approved for doctors may be too weak and the one strain licensed by the government might not fit every medical need, such as appetite boosting.

"Is this strain going to give anybody the munchies?" Pritchard asked, adding patients likely will obtain more potent marijuana from illegal sources if they feel the need.

The drug helps ease pain and nausea, boosts appetite and creates a feeling of euphoria for patients in pain from a variety of causes, advocates say. Health Canada is to launch a thorough study this fall into marijuana's medicinal value.

TIGHT CONTROLS

¥ It will only be for "grave or debilitating illnesses."

¥ The price will be $5 per gram, enough for one or two joints. Grown under licence, it will be couriered to doctors' offices in 30-gram bags, in limited quantities. Seed packages will be sold to patients for $20 so they can grow their own.