Canada has become the first country to legalize the possession of marijuana to chronically ill people if it will help them cope with their illnesses. Those people who qualify for this program are given photo ID cards that state those people have the right to possess or grow marijuana. The Canadian health minister Allan Rock has even supported the new policy. He was quoted by the British Broadcasting Corporation as saying the new regulations were ‘a compassionate measure.’

The new policy is indeed a very compassionate measure. This is something that Canada needs to be commended on. People who are spending their days in pain can finally have a way to cope and reclaim some of their lives back from the illnesses that have dominated their existence.

Britain seems to be sharing the same wavelength with Canada. Juries there have acquitted defendants who said they only smoked marijuana for medical purposes, even though marijuana is still not legal in Britain.

The United States has not been so progressive about this issue, however. The U.S. Supreme Court has actually ruled against California’s moves to relax the current laws pertaining to medical marijuana.

In Canada though, patients that are referred by their doctor as having a terminal illness, where conventional treatment does not work, will be able to obtain marijuana. Currently, the only legal way for patients to acquire marijuana is to either grow it themselves or have a nominated friend or relative grow it for them.

The Canadian government is actually planning to license a company in Saskatchewan to start growing marijuana. This would be completely legal for the company since it would be sanctioned for this purpose by the government.

Being able to utilize marijuana will alleviate some pain and will also improve the mental state of the individual. Many people suffering from terminal illnesses become depressed and form a negative outlook on life. Being able to use marijuana will be a better alternative to drugs that are ‘supposed’ to balance depression, but never seem to really work. In fact, many people on depression medication do not feel any better and end up taking numerous pills to ‘fix’ the problem.

It is great that doctors in Canada have realized the benefits that will come from using marijuana for medicinal purposes. The fact that the government is cooperating with this decision is remarkable too.

This issue is one that has been slowly making progress for quite some time. There is a good chance now that progress will continue faster as this issue keeps being raised.

Hopefully, the United States will take example from Canada, and maybe those suffering in this country from terminal illnesses will soon have more legal options to cope during the rest of their lives.