CTV News has learned that the federal government is about to make it easier to obtain medicinal marijuana -- but only because it has been forced to.

Six months ago, an Ontario Superior Court judge ordered Health Canada to broaden access to medical marijuana. The judge said current laws made "seriously ill, vulnerable people deal with the criminal underworld to get medicine."

While Ottawa is appealing that decision, the court imposed a deadline to set new rules for people who need pot but have trouble getting it legally.

That deadline is Thursday. So Ottawa plans to comply -- for the time being.

Sources tell CTV News that doctors will be asked to distribute the marijuana grown in a Flin Flon, Manitoba grow lab. While officials had claimed its quality was too inconsistent to use, they now say 370 kilograms has passed the test.

Alison Myrden is pleased. She's one of 580 Canadians with a medical permit to smoke marijuana, in her case to ease the pain of multiple sclerosis. She's took sick to grow her own and too poor to pay a dealer.

"I want a source. I don't want to have to buy it from the compassion centers or the black market," she explains.

It appears Myrden will soon have that source. But the lawyer for medical users says the supply may only be temporary because Ottawa is simply meeting the court-ordered deadline. Lawyer Alan Young, who launched the appeal against the federal government, suspects Ottawa will only hand out a bit of pot, to buy time.

"It'll approve two or three different applications, see how that goes and hope the court overturns the judgment so they don't have to do it anymore," he says 

Sources tell CTV that if Ottawa wins the appeal, it will likely halt distribution.

Ottawa unveiled its plans for medical marijuana under the leadership of former health minister Allan Rock and soon began to grow a supply in an abandoned mine shaft.

But when Anne McLellan took over the post, Health Canada announced it would not make any of its Flin Flon marijuana available because it first wanted to see scientific proof about whether the drug is effective.