Pubdate: Fri, 20 May 2016
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Erin Ellis
Page: A11

MEDICAL-MARIJUANA OUTREACH GETS ROLLING

B.C. cannabis producer hopes to give the straight dope to
Canadians

Western Canada's largest licensed medical cannabis producer is
launching a cross-country tour next month to put potential customers
in touch with doctors who can prescribe it on the spot.

Tilray, a federally licensed medical cannabis producer based in
Nanaimo, is sending its Mobile Cannabis Clinic across the country to
offer Canadians increased access to physicians knowledgeable about
medical cannabis.

"We've found there are a lot of regions in Canada where patients have
had trouble finding a supportive physician to access medical
cannabis," said Philippe Lucas, vice-president of patient research and
advocacy for Tilray, based in Nanaimo.

"Our goal is to provide information and, where possible, to provide
access to medical cannabis to patients who might qualify for it," he
said Wednesday.

Lucas says the proliferation of unlicensed medical marijuana shops in
B.C. has nothing to do with Tilray's tour, which will start June 6 in
Nanaimo and end in Ottawa in August with stops in Metro Vancouver from
June 10-14. Clients of the federally-sanctioned system want
tightly-controlled, uncontaminated cannabis products prescribed by a
doctor and delivered by mail to their homes, he says. Patients with
such a prescription can travel freely within Canada with marijuana
products.

Tilray is among a handful of federally-sanctioned medical marijuana
businesses approved by the former federal government. It supplies
specialized marijuana strains by mail, with detailed information on
the products' composition and effects. Liquid marijuana extracts that
can be taken orally are a growing part of the privately-held business.

Most Tilray customers take marijuana for chronic pain, followed
closely by mental health problems that include stress, depression,
anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

More importantly, in a time of rising deaths due to drug overdoses in
B.C., Lucas says a survey of 300 Tilray clients found that 33 per cent
who answered a question on drug substitution said they were taking
cannabis rather than opioids. A total of 149 participants said they
were substituting marijuana for a prescription drug.

Provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall declared a public health
emergency in April after 200 people died in the first three months of
the year from drug overdoses caused by the powerful opioid fentanyl.

Kendall said Wednesday there is some promising evidence that specific
strains ofmarijuana containing higher levels of painkilling
cannabinoids - the active agents that include the intoxicant THC -
could help with some chronic, long-term conditions, depending on the
individual.

American states that have had legalized access to medical marijuana
for years have lower death rates from prescribed opioids, he added.

"The suggestion - and it's only a suggestion - is that people there
may be using fewer opioids to manage pain conditions and may be using
cannabis as well, so you get lower doses.

"The evidence is not really strong, as I read it. It's
suggestive."

But Kendall says it is known that opioids aren't effective for
longterm chronic pain so it's worth exploring alternatives.

For more information on times and locations of the Mobile Cannabis
Clinic, go to: tilray.ca
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MAP posted-by: Matt