mathew trevisan at ontario, canada’s globe & mail: lt. governor david onley says it’s time

ONTARIO'S LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR

Time to address medical marijuana, Onley says

MATTHEW TREVISAN

September 7, 2007

TORONTO -- He didn't say it outright, but one day after being sworn in as Ontario's 28th Lieutenant-Governor, David Onley all but endorsed medicinal marijuana use by the chronically ill.

"It seems to me that when there is no alternative in terms of conventional medicine, anything that has been approved for medical purposes should be accepted and understood," Lt. Gov. Onley wrote during an online discussion yesterday with The Globe and Mail. "It's an issue that has to be addressed!"

The former Toronto broadcaster was responding to a reader concerned that too many Canadians are suffering because they cannot get access to medical marijuana.

"I know what it is to be in severe and chronic pain, especially after major reconstructive knee surgeries when I was a child," wrote Mr. Onley, who had polio as a child and is paralyzed from the waist down. "The pain was so intense that I required heavy-duty narcotics, which only partially deadened the pain ...

"While this is not the same as a chronic disorder, I have always felt that when I saw a story on television, or reported on one about medical marijuana, I had a better understanding than most people."