Pubdate: Fri, 25 Jan 2013
Source: Maple Ridge News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 Anne Rostvig
Contact:  http://www.mapleridgenews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1328
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v13/n044/a11.html
Author: Anne Rostvig

A DRAIN OR STRAIN ON HEALTH CARE SYSTEM?

Editor, The News:

Re: Would you eat at restaurants three times a day (Letters, Jan 18).

Thank you, David Hutchinson, for giving us an insight into what
medical marijuana users can expect under the new regulations.

I would like to offer a further example.

Let's take the hypothetical situations of two identical MS patients,
both living on government disability of $912 per month and both
currently using five grams per day of home-grown marijuana, which has
minimal cost to them and none at all to taxpayers.

Patient A realizes he will not be able to afford the more than $1,300
a month that it will cost to purchase the commercially-produced drug
and has no alternative but to switch to another drug that will be
covered by Fair Pharmacare, despite the fact that this replacement
comes with horrendous side effects.

Patient B is reluctant to give up the beneficial effects of medical
marijuana and chooses to continue to grow his 25 plants, albeit illegally.

Now, let's extend our hypothesis.

Patient A now requires more medication to deal with his serious side
effects and he is also at risk of developing leukemia (a common side
effect of a drug used to treat MS). His quality of life has
deteriorated and he is suffering from depression. He has become a
drain on the health care system and thus on taxpayers.

Patient B has been arrested for production of a controlled substance
and could go to jail. He will have a criminal record and will also now
have to accept the same inferior and expensive health care that
Patient A receives.

Government policy has now made victims of two people and drastically
increased the burden on taxpayers.

Multiply this scenario by the thousands of current users and the
problem becomes a disaster.

Surely it is possible to institute controls on the production and use
of marijuana without causing distress and difficulty to sick people
and those who seek to help them.

Medical marijuana is cheap and highly effective health care and its
loss will cause a serious impact on current users, as well as
increasing health care costs.

Anne Rostvig

Maple Ridge
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D