Pubdate: Fri, 24 Jun 2016
Source: Medicine Hat News (CN AB)
Copyright: 2016 Alberta Newspaper Group, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.medicinehatnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1833
Author: Gillian Slade
Page: A3

PHARMACIST WANTS TO DISTRIBUTE MEDICAL CANNABIS

There are no pharmacies in Alberta licensed to sell medical cannabis
but there is at least one pharmacist locally that would like to see
that changed.

"Pharmacies are the logical choice to be the distribution system.
Pharmacists are highly trained and knowledgeable of drugs and drug
interactions, have access to medical records, have all the security
measures in place and are accessible to the entire community," said
Greg Buekert, pharmacist Greg's Remedy's Rx.

Medicine Hat's first medical cannabis clinic will be open for business
July 4. Dr. Michael Weigle of Natural Health Services clinic will
determine whether medical cannabis is the appropriate choice for a
patient. The team at NHS will help the patient select the cannabis
products that will best meet their needs. The patient is then put in
touch with a licensed supplier and the product is delivered to the
person's home.

Buekert says Dr. Weigle has taken a bold step in the right
direction.

"It is time to pull cannabis out of the shadows, call it what it is -
a drug - and use it for its benefits," said Buekert. "We have an
established medical system with highly trained physicians and
pharmacists - there is no need to reinvent the wheel."

Bueckert wanted to become one of the licensed providers of medical
cannabis through his pharmacy about 15 years ago. He was part of a
group in 2001 that applied to the federal government for the exclusive
rights to grow and distribute marijuana in Canada. In the end the
government decided in favour of such an operation in Flin Flon, Man.
That plan has since failed and Bueckert is not interested in
revisiting that proposal.

The medical consultation with Dr. Weigle will be covered by Alberta
Health just like any medical consultation, said Weigle.

Cannabis is still regulated as a restricted product so in addition to
having a licence to prescribe narcotics, Weigle had to apply to the
College of Physicians and Surgeons for permission to prescribe cannabis.

Weigle would like to see the decriminalization of cannabis and then
see it widely recognized as a medical treatment.

You can contact the NHS clinic by calling 1-844-2620942 or through the
website: http://naturalhealthservices.ca/
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MAP posted-by: Matt