Yellowknife (July 16/03) - Ottawa's plan to have doctors stock and supply marijuana to their patients doesn't cut it with one Yellowknife physician.

"There are going to be problems," Dr. John Morse predicted after Health Canada outlined its latest plan for a drug that some patients use to dull pain or stimulate their appetite for food.

Morse, a specialist in internal medicine, said that "providing drugs from a doctor's office is considered to be unethical behaviour" and he will not do that.

The government said it will supply marijuana at $5 a gram from plants grown at a former mine in Flin Flon, Man. The black market price for the drug ranges between $10 and $25 a gram.

Before the changes announced last week, the only legal supply of marijuana was from plants grown by or for patients, but the seeds were still considered illegal.

Health Canada said seeds will now be available from the government at $20 for a packet of 30.

The federal government said that more than 500 Canadians can legally access marijuana. Morse said a "small number" of patients in the Northwest Territories use the drug, but he declined to disclose how many.

"They are finding it helpful, but I can't divulge any details," he said.

Morse said patients bought marijuana on the black market in Yellowknife, "and I don't encourage that," and through compassion clubs in British Columbia.

"The club is also illegal, but they are doing it with good intentions and not for profit," Morse said.