Canada and the U.S. appear to be going in opposite directions when it comes to marijuana

Canada and the U.S. appear to be going in opposite
directions when it comes to marijuana and its legalities.

In June a B.C. man was awarded $30,000 by the B.C. Supreme Court, to cover the cost of growing marijuana to relieve pain resulting from a botched back operation. The man, Michael Joinson, asked for enough money for a “lifetime supply,” but received only a fraction of the sum after the judge ruled much of his consumption was for “recreational purposes” and limited him to Health Canada’s “safe dosage” limit.

That same month the Nova Scotia government was ordered to pay for a disabled woman a $2,500 setup fee and $100 every three months to finance her grow-op. The woman, named only as Tanya, told CBC she and her husband live on public assistance and can only afford to grow six plants. They both have been ruled disabled and are approved by Health Canada to grow marijuana for personal use.

The federal government is alarmed enough about the growth of the marijuana industry that it is examining new rules so only licensed growers would be permitted to cultivate and distribute it.

In the U.S., however, the Drug Enforcement Agency ruled on Friday that marijuana has has no accepted medical use and should remain classified as a highly dangerous drug like heroin, even though it has been approved for medical use in several states and in Washington D.C..

In a June 21 letter to the organizations that filed the petition, DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart said she rejected the request because marijuana “has a high potential for abuse,” “has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States” and “lacks accepted safety for use under medical supervision.” The letter and 37 pages of supporting documents were published Friday in the Federal Register.

This is the third time that petitions to reclassify marijuana have been spurned. The first was filed in 1972 and denied 17 years later. The second was filed in 1995 and denied six years later. Both decisions were appealed, but the courts sided with the federal government.

Pot advocates welcomed the ruling even though it went against them, as it allows them to appeal the issue to federal courts. They have been waiting for a ruling since 2006 and claimed the federal government’s strategy was one of delay. Advocates had been hoping the Obama administration would be more friendly towards their cause, but the White House announced earlier that it would not accept large-scale commercial marijuana cultivation.

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/07/11/u-s-and-canada-head-in-different-directions-on-pot-plants/

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Canada and the U.S. appear to be going in opposite directions when it comes to marijuana and its legalities.

Canada and the U.S. appear to be going in opposite
directions when it comes to marijuana and its legalities.