#patrick smyth

After two years of study and discussion, the federal government has finalized new rules for medical marijuana and granted a reprieve to pharmacists who opposed the rules in their draft form.

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq rolled out the regulations today for formal publication in the Canada Gazette on Wednesday.

Under the new regime, the government will no longer produce or distribute medical pot and medical marijuana users will no longer be allowed to grow the product at home.

RELATED STORIES

'Green' entrepreneurs hoping to cash in on legal weed industry

Medical pot users say legal changes will lead to more law-breaking

Pot stays illegal in Canada after Appeal Court upholds medical marijuana laws

Yummy-looking medical marijuana treats may entice kids: Study

PHOTOS

A protester lights a joint during a 4-20 marijuana rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, April 20, 2012. (Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

'Care packages' of medical marijuana are displayed at the Harborside Health Center in Oakland, Calif. on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010. (AP / Ben Margot)

Health Canada said since the medical marijuana program was introduced in 2001, it has expanded to 30,000 people from the original 500 authorized to use the product.

"This rapid increase has had unintended consequences for public health, safety and security as a result of allowing individuals to produce marijuana in their homes," the department said in a news release.

"Under the new regulations, production will no longer take place in homes and municipal zoning laws will need to be respected, which will further enhance public safety."

Under the new regulations, the government will allow patients to buy prescribed amounts only from licensed growers who will be required to meet strict conditions.

In previous versions of the regulations, pharmacies were to distribute the product just like other medications, provoking concern from pharmacists, who expressed concerns about dispensing a product without sufficient research. They also cited security concerns.

The final version removes the pharmacists from the loop, leaving patients to rely on mail order for their medical marijuana.

"While the courts have said that there must be reasonable access to a legal source of marijuana for medical purposes, we believe that this must be done in a controlled fashion in order to protect public safety," Aglukkaq said in a statement.

"These changes will strengthen the safety of Canadian communities while making sure patients can access what they need to treat serious illnesses."

She used similar reasoning last week when she introduced new hurdles for the creation of supervised drug-injection sites in response to a court ruling.

Physicians and pharmacists alike questioned the regulatory changes, saying there is little evidence that medical marijuana is either effective or safe.

The umbrella group representing the country's colleges of physicians and surgeons said the changes won't protect people.

"We believe that the new federal medical marijuana regulations put patients and the general public at risk," Dr. Rocco Gerace, president of the Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada, said in a statement.

"Physicians should not be asked to prescribe or dispense substances or treatments for which there is little or no evidence of clinical efficacy or safety."

In December, the president of the Canadian Medical Association, Dr. Anna Reid, described the proposed marijuana rules as "akin to asking doctors to write prescriptions while blindfolded."

"Not only does prescribing drugs that haven't been clinically tested fly in the face of medical training and ethics, but marijuana's potential benefits and adverse effects have not been rigorously tested."

The Canadian Pharmacists Association responded in February to a set of draft rules.

"There is little information available on safety, effectiveness, dosage, drug interactions or long-term health risks," the association said in its letter to Health Canada.

"Pharmacists, physicians and nurse practitioners need evidence-based information to support safe and effective prescribing and dispensing of (medical marijuana)."

The association said it didn't know how many pharmacies would be willing to participate a revamped system.

"While the distribution process would be regulated, there remains the concern with pharmacists dispensing a product that does not have adequate safety and effectiveness evidence. In addition, the potential security risks to pharmacies due to robberies would need to be considered."

Patrick Smyth was 15 years old when he had his first Olympic experience. Nine years later, he hopes to take a step toward his second one in the NYC Half.

Smyth, a native of Rock Springs, WY, was a student at Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Salt Lake City in 2002 when the Winter Olympics came to town. His school made the most of the opportunity. “Judge gave us two weeks off to immerse ourselves in the experience,” Smyth recalls. “We took mini-courses related to the Olympics, and I took one focused on biathlon. I learned how to cross country ski and shoot, using a paintball gun. We also studied the rules, and we even got tickets to the gold medal round at the end of the course.”

The Olympics also offered a practical benefit for Smyth. The Utah Olympic Oval, built for speed skating, is surrounded by a 442-meter indoor Mondo track. It was there that Smyth began to shift his athletic focus from basketball to running. From the track in Salt Lake City, he went on to podium finishes in the last two USA Half-Marathon Championships.

“The Olympic Oval was a great facility, and it helped spur my running because I was able to get quicker times than a lot of high schoolers who were running on tight 200-meter flat tracks. I was able to put good times on the board early on.”

His older sister Kathleen was also instrumental in the switch. She’d traded soccer for track at Judge, and she eventually earned a running scholarship to Boston College. Judge coach Daniel Quinn helped her develop as a runner, and he suggested that Patrick try cross country to get fit for basketball.

“I ended up making the varsity squad in cross country wearing hand-me-down running shoes and basketball shorts,” Smyth says with a laugh. “It was great to find a sport I was good at, and a good coach who believed in my talent. By my senior year of high school, I was completely focused on running.”

Smyth’s breakthrough came in October 2009, when he placed third in the USA 10-Mile Championship in Minneapolis. A month later, he took a leave of absence from the University of Notre Dame to pursue a professional running career. (He has since completed his BA in history.)

In January 2010, Smyth finished second in the USA Half-Marathon Championships in Houston, running a PR of 1:02:01. In March, he was the first American finisher in the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, placing 35th overall, and in June he took third place in the 10,000 meters at the USA Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, IA.

As a member of the Mammoth Track Club in Mammoth Lakes, CA, Smyth now trains under coach Terrence Mahon alongside running stars like ING New York City Marathon 2009 champion Meb Keflezighi. Having begun 2011 with a third-place finish at the USA Half, he’s looking to PR in New York.