HOSPITAL BARS LEGAL POT

SASKATOON -- A patient who has federal permission to use marijuana
for medical purposes was told he couldn't light up at a Saskatoon hospital.

Peter Christensen was brought to City Hospital by ambulance from
Vermilion. He said he ended up not getting the tests he needed
because he wasn't allowed to use his medication.

Christensen, who lives in Marshall, Sask., said he was approached by
a nurse and a security guard shortly after he was admitted and told
medical marijuana was "not recognized" at the hospital.

Christensen was authorized to use marijuana in 2004 by Health Canada
to treat a movement disorder known as Tardive Dyskinesia. He uses it
every six to eight hours.

He asked to go back to Vermilion and was escorted outside by the
security guard to use the cannabis before hitting the road.

He noted his conversation with the staff was cordial, but he doesn't
understand why the cannabis became an issue.

Jean Morrison, senior vice-president of health services for the
Saskatoon Health Region, said she can't comment on the specific
incident but said the hospital's smoking policy will be clarified to
prevent similar incidents.

The policy permits smoking in designated locations outside the
hospital, but "rarely, the manager or designate of an area/ward may
create a special provision for a client with special needs."

Morrison said medical marijuana would be a "special need," just as
burning sweetgrass is considered for aboriginal people.

Because the smoking policy does not specifically refer to medical
marijuana, Morrison said it will be revised to make it clear for all employees.

"The use of marijuana for medical purposes is a relatively new
phenomenon. Even though it's been around for a few years, we've only
had two incidents that we've dealt with. So in fact our staff haven't
had a lot of exposure to it," said Morrison.

Health Canada began authorizing people with specific medical
conditions in 2001. To date, there are 858 authorized medical
marijuana users in the country.