Pubdate: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 Source: Metro (Calgary, CN AB) Copyright: 2014 Metro Canada Contact: http://www.metronews.ca/Calgary Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4471 Author: Jeremy Nolais Page: 4 MARIJUANA EFFECTIVE WHEN OTHER TREATMENTS FAIL: CLINIC Oasis Head Hopes to Be a Pot 'Pioneer' In Alberta Months after launching Alberta's only marijuana-prescribing clinic, Oasis Medical Centre hasn't become some hotbed for old-time hippies in tie-dyed shirts. In fact, the data suggests quite the opposite - users are primarily male professionals in their early 40s suffering from everything from cancer to sleep disorders and long-standing pain. The screening process is rigorous, according to doctor-in-training and Oasis partner Miles Nakaska. Patients first fill out a form online detailing their medical and treatment history - one word answers won't do. Next, it's a face-to-face meeting with him that can span nearly an hour. "You've been through conventional treatment - it failed," Nakaska said, describing his average patient's predicament. "You've been through the pain clinic. We've seen people on four or five different types of narcotics come in. You wouldn't believe the pill boxes these people have; it's sick." But Oasis owners believe far more than pain can be aided by pot. "For example, I want to diagnose a sleep disorder," Nakaska said. "You went to a sleeping clinic, you went to a sleep doctor, you've been on four different sleep meds, you've been through the whole gamut. Now, we can say 'OK, this patient would benefit from medicinal marijuana,' and a lot of them do. "It's an improvement in the quality of life you wouldn't believe." But despite Nakaska's glowing endorsement, marijuana remains largely a divisive topic in Canada's medical community. Health Canada has not approved the use of the drug but the courts have required "reasonable access" to it for prescribed users. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA), meanwhile, requires members to document trials with more traditional treatments before turning to marijuana. None of that, however, appears to faze the man behind Oasis' bold endeavour, Dr. Eugene Magerman. He serves as lead physician and an organization founder, and said it's hard not to get emotional when describing the benefits of medicinal marijuana for patients who felt so hopeless coping with an illness or ailment for so long. "Everybody is jumping on the natural bandwagon and we want to be part of that," he explained. "I want to be a pioneer, I want to be a new light, part of a new group, a new force of health care practitioners, who believe in a more natural way." Marijuana users have accused CPSA of bullying pot-friendly doctors and, in turn, forcing them to travel to B.C. or use Skype to meet with a marijuana-prescribing doctor in another province. Magerman said the college has "not objected to what I do, but they're not supportive." He said many in the local medical community have quietly inquired about his foray into pot prescriptions and are just waiting for "the right angle" to offer their patients a similar program. James, who asked that his real name not be used, turned to Oasis after suffering for more than a decade with back pain. Opiate painkillers, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, holistic medicine, you name it, nothing worked. That is, until he turned to a marijuana-infused olive oil recipe he claims works "10 times better" to numb muscle spasms. He said getting properly prescribed by Oasis provides "safer access" to the drug and credited that with allowing him to go on four backpacking treks this summer. "The only side effect being you might be a bit giggly, but I've still found I can work while on it," he said, later adding. * [sidebar] Oasis medicinal marijuana program by the numbers 300 - The number of patients that have successfully joined the Oasis medicinal marijuana program in its first three-and-a-half months. About three times as many have applied but have been weeded out through the rigorous screening process, according to Dr. Miles Nakaska. 70% - The percentage of patients admitted to the Oasis program that are from Calgary. Other patients have come from Edmonton, Grande Prairie and even as far away as Saskatchewan. "They're driving here . . . we've had people from as far away as the border of Manitoba," Nakaska said. 42 - The average age of medicinal marijuana patients in the Oasis program. Of those being prescribed marijuana, about 70 per cent are men. According to Nakaska, the most common complaint is pain, including patients with multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia and spinal injuries. 2 - The average number of grams of marijuana being prescribed daily for users coping with pain. More intense doses are being given to those suffering from cancer and other extremely serious illnesses. "We encourage our patients to ingest their marijuana in a variety of different ways," Nakaska said. "Smoke it, vaporize it . . ." 12 - The number of months a licence to use medicinal marijuana remains valid. Patients are reporting delays of up to three months to receive their first shipment, said Dr. Eugene Magerman. 13 - Health Canada has approved 13 organizations nationwide to supply newly prescribed users with marijuana, but only 5-6 of those are actually reliable so far. "Initially, we're dealing with supply side issues . . . most of these suppliers came late to the game," Nakaska said. "A lot of them are out of product, there are issues with quality control and there's a wait list." More ins and outs of prescribing pot * Marijuana has received endorsements in well over 30,000 published medical articles and from such high-profile figures as CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Calgary Dr. Eugene Magerman with Oasis Medical Centre said it's only a matter of time before the drug catches hold in Alberta like in has in other countries and even other provinces, like B.C. * Oasis does not keep a supply of marijuana at its clinic. * Patients can be subjected to urine screenings to ensure they're using the marijuana they're prescribed and not transferring it to someone else. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom