Patients fear impact of tighter medical pot laws RICHARD MAHONEY richard.mahoney@eap.on.ca gŏđŏ editionap.ca Wilfrid Villeneuve, had served 37 years as a police officer in town, and nine years as po- lice chief.
from growing their own marijuana, and force them to buy from government-ap- proved licenced commercial producers. The move is designed to reduce abuse of the system, the government says. In 2002, there were 500 Canadians who used pot under the medical exemption. By 2012, that number had exceeded 26,000. The Hollinrakes worry that the price will invariably increase, forcing many users to break the law. “People are either keep on growing their own, or buy it on the street,” observes Vickie. “Many MMAR patients are already just struggling to get by,” adds Shane. “How are they going to afford their meds if the price goes up?” Shane contends that the new restric- tions can be challenged in court under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. “The government is removing the autonomy of its citizens. It is creating a quasi-mo- nopoly by licencing only certain growers. Previous challenges have been successful and it can be challenged again in front of the court,” says Shane. Hollinrake estimates that she would have to spend up to $25 a day to get the same amount of cannabis she can now grow herself. When she was prescribed medical marijuana by a local physician, it was just what the doctor ordered. Hollinrake had been using a prescription drug that “got me high but did not take the pain away.”
However, she believes Canada is still too uptight about marijuana. “I don’t smoke outside the house. I do not light up at rallies. I do not want to become a target. This new law is stupid. People can now grow their medicine. Do not take our rights away. All we want is the right to grow.” System is not working, says MP Canada’s medical marijuana system is not working for users, the community or police. So says Glengarry-Prescott-Russell Con- servative MP Pierre Lemieux, who recently met with Vickie Hollinrake to discuss her concerns. The system that is being phased out “did not serve the users very well,” says Lemieux, referring to complaints that the process was bureaucratic and slow. “A lack of monitoring” has been an issue, with neighbours complaining that “there has been a lot of traffic” in areas where legal pot growers have lived. He notes that it is difficult to monitor how much marijuana is being produced and who is using it. Home buyers are often not aware that the previous occupants were pot growers. Mari- juana production can cause severe damage to a home. Lemieux insists that under the licenced supplier system, patients will be better off. Standards will be set in the area of safety, quality and security. Clients will have the option to buy from a list of approved com- panies, thus customer satisfaction will de- termine the long-term viability of licenced growers, he says. It is up to the provinces to decide whether the price of marijuana will be subsidized, the MP observes. He disagrees with the concept that pa- tients have a right to “self-medicate.” Medicinal marijuana “ought to be treated like any other narcotic,” Lemieux comments. “Just because a person has a prescription “does not mean you can produce your own morphine or opium.”
HAWKESBURY | Vickie Hollinrake loves taking her medicine. “This is the only thing that really works for me,” the 34-year-old Hawkesbury woman says as she lights up a marijuana cigarette. She is not breaking any law. In fact, she has been smoking and eating marijuana with the full knowledge of the authorities for about five years. Hollinrake is among the 30,000 Canadi- ans who have been prescribed grass to help them deal with medical conditions. According to her Marijuana Medical Ac- cess Regulations (MMAR) exemption, Hol- linrake can cultivate, possess, store and smoke a specific quantity of cannabis. “I can grow free medicine. I can produce my own medicine, knowing exactly what is in it and where it came from,” she says. But she fears that she and thousands of others will be forced to make some difficult choices when stricter regulations go into ef- fect next year. “For many people, it will come down to a choice of whether they eat or take their medication,” she states. Hollinrake and her husband, Shane, are lobbying politicians to revoke Health Cana- da’s proposed changes to the medical mari- juana system. The new rules will prevent MMAR patients
Vickie Hollinrake, of Hawkesbury, op- poses a new federal law they say will hurt the sick and poor. A toke helps her cope with her many ail- ments, including a degenerative disc disease, arthritis and a neurological con- dition that affects the nerves in her face. “Pot stabilizes me and helps me deal with my anxiety.” Hollinrake is convinced “the miracle plant” has only positive effects. “This is like a tomato plant,” she says. “This is not a gateway drug,” adds Shane. “It is a gateway to the fridge,” remarks Vickie. She has had weight issues in the past. “I went from 300 pounds to 98 pounds. I just stopped eating.” The pot stimulates her appetite. “That is the only downside.” Home-schooling three children, aged 15, 10 and 7, Hollinrake notes her hus- band never uses marijuana. “It is a personal choice,” says Shane, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, who is an or- dained Baptist minister. “I have respect for the law,” she says, recalling that her grandfather, the late
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Le chemin de la Rouge a été fermé à la circulation à hauteur de l’Usine des sources Véo, mardi et mercredi. Au moment de mettre sous presse, la municipalité de Gren- ville-sur-la-Rouge avait fait le nettoyage afin d’ouvrir une voie à la circulation lo- cale. Les travaux de réfection du chemin débuteront lorsque les ingénieurs auront soumis leur rapport au ministère des transports du Québec.
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