Allowing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes could send the wrong message to Canadian teenagers, sparking greater acceptance of the drug, warns an internal Health Department memo.

(Marijuananews note: The Calgary Herald seems to take the memo at face value. However, the real significance of the memo is that it demonstrates the degree to which second rate prohibitionist arguments may have delayed access to medical marijuana. Perhaps this thinking is the reason why even now the government refuses to provide patients with a legal source of medical marijuana.
See
Canadian Patients Can Apply For Medical Use Of Marijuana, But There's Still No Legal Source.
-- "It’s unfair. It’s just patently unfair," Says Superior Court Justice.
"I’m sick. I’m scared. I need help not harassment." Says AIDS Patient

Notice that it leads with the "sends the wrong message" line, a really ridiculous argument.)

The concern is one of a litany of thorny issues raised by federal officials in the newly released briefing document, which examines the potential use of marijuana for therapeutic purposes.

The note, prepared by the department’s health protection branch for minister Allan Rock, identifies several stumbling blocks, including health hazards posed by cannabis, possible friction with the medical profession and the difficulty of obtaining legal supplies of the drug.

An edited version of the memo, originally stamped secret, was obtained by Southam News under the Access to Information Act.

(Marijuananews note: One hopes that it was "stamped secret" because of embarrassment.)

The department cites United Nations research that indicates the age of initiation into drug abuse has been falling yearly. "The rate of drug use among young people is linked to their perception of risks related to drugs," says the memo. "The use of marijuana as a therapeutic product may convey the false message that marijuana has some benefit and is not that dangerous."

(Marijuananews note: "The false message that marijuana has some benefit"?
See
Chairman of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee
Criticizes UK Government’s Rejection Of Report On Medical Marijuana
– 2 Articles With 2 of the Worst Prohibitionist Arguments
If it has no benefit, then that argument should be made, not the absurdly illogical argument that having medical benefit indicates that a drug is "not that dangerous." Many very valuable drugs are very dangerous.)

It notes several "hazardous effects" of marijuana, including short-term impairment of motor skills, increased blood pressure, lung damage, suppression of the immune system and risk of dependence among heavy users.

The memo suggests government efforts to stamp out smoking and to combat illegal drug use could be undermined by making marijuana available for medical use, saying the move "may be in conflict with the Canadian drug and tobacco strategies."

Canada is a signatory to a series of international treaties that require the federal government to exercise control over production and distribution of narcotics, including marijuana. "Any movement towards legal access to marijuana may be perceived negatively by other countries."

(Marijuananews note: My, my! I wonder what "other countries" they may have in mind. If this was a secret memo it should have dealt candidly with DEAland pressure. Perhaps it did, and that was the part that was edited out.)

The federal government has come under pressure in recent years to allow sufferers of AIDS and cancer to smoke marijuana to cope with nausea caused by chemical therapies.