43.5 per cent of study participants who used marijuana as a substitute for alcohol decreased the frequency of their drinking. Authorized medical marijuana patients who began using cannabis to help reduce their drinking report experiencing a reduction or even discontinuation of alcohol use, notes new research out of the University of Victoria. The finding reflects feedback from 2,102 patients registered with Tilray, a medical cannabis research and production company in Canada. The input was received as part of the Canadian Cannabis Patient Survey 2019, which gathered details on patient demographics, patterns of weed use and self-reported use of prescription drugs, alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs before and after starting medical cannabis. [continues 612 words]
Advocates say Ottawa's proposed excise levy will simply penalize the sick The federal government has angered proponents of medical cannabis and the opposition by announcing that its planned excise tax on recreational products will also apply to marijuana that is used to treat various illnesses. A large number of groups had been calling on Ottawa to remove the sales tax that is currently imposed on medical marijuana. Instead, they were shocked to learn on Friday that sales taxes will continue to apply on medical marijuana, but also that an excise tax of $1 a gram will be added on the product. [continues 885 words]
Ottawa will charge GST on recreational marijuana in addition to the planned excise tax of $1 a gram, threatening to make legal cannabis more expensive than its black-market competition. The federal government's plan to legalize marijuana by July 1 is designed to replace the illegal market with a heavily regulated industry, but experts say the final sales price will be key to its eventual success or failure. Parliamentary Budget Officer Jean-Denis Frechette warned Wednesday in a blog post that an excise tax would likely push the price of legal marijuana above black-market prices observed in 2015-16. [continues 654 words]
Medical pot viewed as safer, less addictive than painkillers; health officer cautious A Nanaimo-based researcher believes cannabis could help reduce opioid overdoses and help people overcome addiction. Philippe Lucas, who works for medical-marijuana producer Tilray, published an academic paper in the Harm Reduction Journal that explores cannabis as a substitute for opioids. Lucas said doctors should consider prescribing cannabis as a safer, less addictive alternative to opioids for treating chronic pain. "The evidence is clear at this point that medical cannabis is far less addicting and has zero risk of overdose compared to opioids," said Lucas, who has been researching the therapeutic use of cannabis for more than a decade. In a case where an opioid addiction has already taken hold, cannabis can be used alongside opioid-replacement therapies such as methadone or suboxone to improve results, Lucas's research suggests. [continues 404 words]
A Nanaimo-based researcher has found medicinal cannabis can reduce or prevent opioid use and can even offer addicts an exit strategy. In an academic paper published this month in the Harm Reduction Journal, Philippe Lucas concluded governments and health care providers should immediately implement "cannabis-based interventions" in the opioid overdose crisis. For Lucas, years of research have rebutted government lines that cannabis is a "gateway drug" and have instead shown it can be an "exit drug" for problematic substance use. [continues 435 words]
Dr. Caroline MacCallum wants doctors to know that cannabis "isn't the taboo medicine" they might think it is. Not only has she used it successfully to treat more than 50 conditions, she has also seen how it has helped her patients stop using prescription opioids. MacCallum, a specialist in complex pain and cannabinoid medicine, is the medical director at Green Leaf Clinic in Langley, where she assesses patients for their eligibility for Canada's Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations program. [continues 922 words]
Medical marijuana may assist in keeping addicts off dangerous opioids. The patients at Dr. Mark Ujjainwalla's methadone clinic are trying to beat their addiction to heroin, narcotic painkillers and other opioid drugs, but most of them still smoke pot. He estimates that 90 per cent of his patients at the Recovery Ottawa clinic on Montreal Road already use marijuana, and he's begun writing prescriptions so they can buy it legally. Medical marijuana, used appropriately, can reduce insomnia, anxiety and cravings for opioids, says Ujjainwalla. Marijuana cannot replace methadone or suboxone, the drugs he uses to treat addicts, he says. [continues 1146 words]
Two years before Canada's medical-marijuana sector became embroiled in a tainted cannabis scare, the trade organization representing the majority of commercial growers explored using banned pesticides on their products, according to newly obtained documents. Meeting minutes and confidential e-mails sent in 2015 to more than a dozen companies on the subject, show that some industry members supported using prohibited chemicals such as myclobutanil - a pesticide that produces hydrogen cyanide when combusted and can lead to serious health problems. [continues 1021 words]
More than half the medical-marijuana patients in a new study said they use cannabis to help them get off heavier prescription drugs, with the largest percentage saying pot acts as a substitute painkiller for opioids. The new research, published in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Drug Policy but funded by a licensed cannabis grower Tilray, adds to a small body of science that suggests patients are effectively using marijuana to replace opioids, a class of legal and illicit painkillers that has led to an ongoing crisis that killed hundreds of Canadians last year. [continues 541 words]
People age 18 and up should be allowed to legally buy marijuana through storefronts and mail-order but probably not in the same locations where alcohol and tobacco are sold, a federal task force is recommending. Vancouver Island's cannabis industry is welcoming recommendations from the task force for legalization of marijuana, but the B.C. government is urging Ottawa to proceed with caution. The task force, headed by former federal Liberal cabinet minister Anne McLellan, recommends allowing dedicated places such as lounges for the consumption of cannabis products, and calls for restrictions on public smoking of tobacco products to extend to cannabis. [continues 938 words]
Clinical trial to assess whether medical marijuana serves as effective treatment for PTSD UBC Okanagan is teaming up with a Vancouver Island-based producer of medical marijuana to host Canada's first clinical trial studying the effects of treating PTSD with the drug. "Research suggests that PTSD affects over nine per cent of men and women in Canada, and many more worldwide," said Trev Bungay, vice-president of Trauma Healing Centers. "Treatment is necessary in order to help those who have served their country or experienced an unfortunate traumatic event find coping methods or continue to live a full and normal life." [continues 258 words]
Some Canadian veterans and their supporters, including long-time cannabis crusader and former Victoria city councillor Philippe Lucas, are petitioning Canada's Parliament for marijuana in pills. The group says marijuana can help veterans suffering from chronic pain and in dealing with the psychological and emotional residue of combat tours, generally known as post-traumatic stress disorder. They point out that Veterans Affairs Canada refuses to pay for marijuana extracts or in pills, covering only raw marijuana leaves or buds to be smoked. [continues 479 words]
Despite a Top Court Decision Giving Canadians the Right to Use Extracts, Ottawa Only Reimburses Veterans for Dried Products Despite a Supreme Court of Canada decision that gives sick Canadians the right to use medical cannabis oils, Ottawa is reimbursing the country's veterans for dried pot only, potentially pushing them to less healthy options of smoking or vaporizing the drug. That has prompted a group of commercial medical marijuana growers to urge Ottawa to expand medical marijuana coverage for former soldiers - - a small but lucrative patient base for Canada's two dozen licensed producers - to include the ingestible oils. [continues 666 words]
In another sign that Canada's booming marijuana industry has gone corporate, dozens of companies have registered as paid lobbyists ahead of Ottawa's plan to legalize the drug's recreational use next spring. As of March 19, the federal government's lobbyist registry listed 88 paid positions with interests in marijuana or cannabis. The companies named range from small, independent businesses like Vancouver's Eden Medicinal Society to large corporations, including the Loblaws chain of more than 2,000 supermarkets across Canada. [continues 455 words]
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. [continues 415 words]
Is eating a pot brownie each day to help with your chronic pain as bad for you as regularly lighting up a cigarette? Canadian life insurers say the two activities pose the same risk and demand the same higher premiums from clients. The insurance industry's national trade association argues the standard policy among insurers of tacking on increased costs to marijuana users - regardless of whether they smoke, vape or eat the drug - is based on available research. The group also suggests pricier premiums could be due to the severity of a medical marijuana patient's underlying conditions. [continues 610 words]
While Canada engages in complex dialogue about how best to regulate the sale of cannabis for adult use, tens of thousands of Canadians are currently authorized to use cannabis to treat a variety of symptoms and medical conditions. They have obtained this authorization from a physician or nurse practitioner, the only way they can use it legally under current regulations. Research funded by the University of British Columbia's Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention has shown that for many Canadians with chronic medical conditions, a lack of affordability can be a barrier to using cannabis for medical purposes. Sales tax on medical cannabis only adds to the financial burden. [continues 462 words]
Businesses hope to clear haze of dated perceptions surrounding cannabis TORONTO - You won't find brightly coloured bongs or bubble gum-flavoured rolling papers displayed against the backdrop of exposed brick and modern, industrial-style furnishings at Tokyo Smoke. Instead, the shop - located in a former shipping dock nestled between two warehouses in Toronto's west end - carries high-end pot paraphernalia befitting the pages of a design magazine while also serving up cups of artisanal coffee. Pipes handcrafted by California-based ceramicist Ben Medansky sit alongside a pricey portable vaporizer; a reimagined version of the French press coffee maker launched via a Kickstarter campaign and a selection of what shop owner Alan Gertner calls "museum quality collectibles" - items such as vintage Barbies and a vintage Hermes bag. [continues 495 words]
Pot: Mail-Order Delivery Model Is ' Too Restrictive' The federal government should use a court decision ordering it to rewrite the rules on medical marijuana as an opportunity to legalize the storefront sale of such medicine, experts and commercial growers say. A Federal Court judge in British Columbia ruled earlier this week that patients have a right to grow their own medical marijuana, overturning regulations that forced them to purchase the drug through federally licensed producers. Justice Michael Phelan gave the federal government six months to rewrite the current regulations. [continues 738 words]
Canada's licensed pot producers are pushing Ottawa to exempt patients from paying any sales tax on their products, which would give medical marijuana the same tax status as prescription drugs. The Canadian Medical Cannabis Council, a trade group representing three commercial producers, argues the tax change would allow them to compete with illegal dispensaries, which have exploded in number across the country. Philippe Lucas, executive director of the council, said he met with a policy adviser to Finance Minister Bill Morneau during pre-budget consultations last week. [continues 638 words]
With plans for a major expansion looming, Delta 9 - a local Health Canada medical cannabis producer - has joined the Canadian Medical Cannabis Council (CMCC), the association announced Tuesday. "We wanted to further the interests of our patients, address insurance coverage and make sure our patients were getting a good enough supply of medicinal marijuana," Delta 9 vice-president John Arbuthnot said. "Delta 9 is very excited to join CMCC in creating and implementing the highest standards of safety, quality, and patient access within Canada's medical cannabis industry." [continues 303 words]
Change of Government Brings Issue Back to the Forefront Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper sparked considerable debate following an election campaign stop in Montreal where he described cannabis as "infinitely worse" than tobacco. Many media organizations were quick to find experts willing to discredit the claim. Critics said it was out of step in a climate where a growing number of U.S. states are now legalizing the drug, while cashing in on the resulting tax windfall, and slashing police and prison costs. Some countries in Latin America are going the same way. And the new Liberal government successfully campaigned on a promise to legalize marijuana. [continues 1036 words]
Rehab clinic seeing greater numbers of youth addictions The growth of marijuana dependency is a troubling issue for Calgary's youth, according to a director at a local clinic. "It's alarming to the point that we're treating more marijuana- dependent youth across North America than (all) other illicit drug( s) combined," said Dr. Jackie Smith at the Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre, adding the majority of her clients are addicted to and dependent on pot. Smith's comments come as popular stances on weed continue to change, with Vancouver selling it through dispensaries and the Liberals promising to legalize it if elected. [continues 192 words]
Be honest: Four years ago, could you have envisioned the Conservatives on the same side of the law as an industrial-scale marijuana grow-op? But weird as it seems, that's the situation in Nanaimo, where medical-marijuana producer Tilray finds itself on the establishment side of the pot debate. With $3.2 million in annual payroll, Tilray became one of the bigger employers in town when it opened in 2014. This spring, it announced plans to quadruple the size of its 65,000-square-foot Duke Point production facility, adding 275 jobs. [continues 1390 words]
TORONTO - A number of Canada's medical marijuana growers are poised to release cannabis oils for authorized patients who don't want to smoke or vaporize the dried herb to relieve symptoms. In July, Health Canada gave growers the green light to begin producing the plant-based extracts, which are expected to be approved for sale in the coming months. About a dozen of the country's 25 medicinal pot producers have sought expanded licences to produce and market cannabis oils and/or fresh marijuana buds and leaves under the updated federal regulations. Among them are Ontario companies Tweed and Bedrocan Canada Inc., and Nanaimo's Tilray. [continues 368 words]
A licensed medical marijuana producer in B.C. is getting closer to selling marijuana extracts such as oils and liquid capsules, products traditionally in the realm of still-illegal dispensaries. Nanaimo-based producer Tilray got a licence to produce cannabis oils from Health Canada in August. The federal regulator is letting licensed producers make - and eventually sell - fresh marijuana and cannabis oil as well as dried marijuana in light of a Supreme Court decision that patients have a right to these forms of the drug. [continues 203 words]
Your Essential Daily News Research Shows Cannabis Stands in for Harsher Substances Marijuana's label as a gateway drug could go up in smoke, at least according to a study published this month by University of Victoria and University of British Columbia researchers. The study published in Drug and Alcohol Review indicates medical marijuana could be an "exit drug" since many people choose to use it instead of prescription opiates, alcohol and other illicit drugs. The study used UBC data from more than 400 medical cannabis users collected between 2011 and 2012. [continues 109 words]
DNA Testing Finds Mismatch Between Reality and What's Claimed When the product is called Atomic Haze, you might expect a description of its contents to be rather fuzzy - and a team of Canadian scientists has found just that. "The genetics of cannabis are muddled at this point and we need to spend some time doing research to figure that out," says Jonathan Page, a University of B.C. botanist who co-wrote a study published Wednesday in the online journal PLOS One. "There's a lot of confusion and a lot of chaos in the system now." [continues 466 words]
Parliamentary committees undertake studies dealing with various topics and then write a report. If Opposition members on a particular committee do not agree with the report, they usually put together what is called a Dissenting Minority Report. The House of Commons Health Committee recently did a study on all aspects of marijuana policy and use in Canada. The NDP believes that this study was unbalanced and was designed to focus on the harms of marijuana policy and use in Canada. According to our Health critic, Libby Davies and other NDP members of the committee, the study and resulting report did not allow for an unbiased assessment of both harms and potential medical benefits. [continues 607 words]
'Looking for Answers'. Producer Hopes to Begin Next Spring British Columbia researchers and a medical marijuana producer have joined forces to conduct Canada's first-ever clinical trial to back up anecdotal evidence in using cannabis to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with hard facts. Pending regulatory approval, the University of British Columbia Okanagan and Tilray, a Health Canada licensed producer under the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations, hope to begin the world's first large-scale clinical trial examining cannabis for a mental health disorder as early as spring 2015. [continues 319 words]
Marijuana producer and UBC are pitching a clinical trial on the impact of the drug on people with post-traumatic stress disorder After developing post-traumatic stress disorder during his second deployment in Afghanistan in 2007, Canadian army veteran Fabian Henry tried numerous anti-depressants to quell his suicidal thoughts and violent rages. For three years, he was on as many as nine pills a day. But only one drug worked for him: marijuana. "It literally gave me relief and changed my life," says Henry, who now vaporizes 10 grams of medical marijuana a day. "I went from suicidal and homicidal ideation, to DUIs, to threatening to kill people, to beating people up, to doing yoga seven days a week, using cannabis and spending more time in nature with my kids." [continues 968 words]
The medical marijuana sector is exploding as speculators, penny stock promoters and get-rich-quick investors buy in. But regulators are warning buyers to tread carefully The question flickered through Paul Rosen's mind: "Is this the day I die?" The 50-year-old merchant banker was on his way to tour a medical marijuana facility two years ago, when the men driving him to the site made an unusual request. They handed him a blindfold and told him to put it on. [continues 3425 words]
Health Canada Warns Canadian Pot Producers About Misleading Information In Advertising Health Canada has issued what some are calling a wake-up call to licensed medical marijuana producers that may be pushing the envelope when it comes to advertising. The memo, obtained by the Citizen, was sent June 30 and tells the 13 producers that have been licensed under the regulatory system brought in April 1 to immediately remove any inappropriate advertising from "websites and company materials." "The purpose of the letter was to inform licensed producers that the Government of Canada is concerned about advertisements that are false, misleading or deceptive and those that advertise marijuana and remind them of their obligations, specifically that the advertising marijuana is prohibited," Health Canada told the Citizen. [continues 827 words]
President's Views On Medical Use Unfair, Some Say Some doctors are raising concerns that the national body representing them has outdated views on medical marijuana that are creating barriers for patients who could benefit from the herb. Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti, president of the Canadian Medical Association, recently told the Citizen there isn't enough medical evidence to support medical marijuana use, and that people who seek the drug in doctors' offices are just looking for "dope." Dr. Marcia Gillman, a physician who specializes in palliative care at Montreal's Jewish General Hospital, said Monday that Francescutti has a duty to be well-informed, which is "clearly not the case here." [continues 548 words]
New Nanaimo business says customer list burgeoning, plans to hire another 40 people for operation Business is budding at Nanaimo's industrial producer of legal medical marijuana. Since Tilray put its first shipment of pot on a delivery truck from its Duke Point plant in late April, its customer list has grown to more than 1,000. It's good news for the Seattle based company, and for Nanaimo's tax base and labour force. With the buyer list now topping the 1,000 mark, company officials are pleasantly surprised - that's about 10 per cent higher than expectations. [continues 190 words]
Cannabis dispensaries offer different strains of marijuana as treatment for a variety of substance-abuse problems, including alcoholism, and harder drugs like heroin. BRYAN ALLEYNE LOST a lot of time to drugs before he found an unlikely cure that he says freed him from dependence. "I was an addict for at least 20 years. Heroin, cocaine, and every kind of pill I could," he told the Georgia Straight at a coffee shop on East Hastings Street. "But it's been eight years and I haven't gone back to hard stuff." [continues 1390 words]
A Nanaimo medicinal pot factory received its license from Health Canada last week and is now officially able to distribute cannabis across Canada. Tilray, located at Duke Point, has been busy trimming, photographing and testing marijuana as it prepares for its first shipments, according to company vice president Philippe Lucas. Tilray has also had a steady stream of interest from locals, with over 1,000 applications being taken in since the company started accepting resumes. "We're settling into a really nice groove," said Lucas. [continues 109 words]
Nanaimo's new medical marijuana producer is on the search for skilled labour. Tilray, the face of B.C.-based Lafitte Ventures, is looking to hire up to 60 employees as it prepares to open its new production facility at Duke Point. A job fair will be hosted this weekend for positions ranging from horticulturalists and trimmers to customer service representatives, security and marketing management. Work at the new medical marijuana facility has been underway since rezoning was approved by Nanaimo city council last December. According to Tilray, total investment to buy, renovate and create a state-of-the-art facility will reach more than $10 million once it's complete. [continues 276 words]
It is the dawn of Marijuana Inc. and dollars have begun to flow into Nanaimo by the millions. A Duke Point construction site was abuzz with activity on Tuesday as contractors worked to transform an industrial warehouse into a legal growing operation that is expected to supply medical marijuana users across the country. Health Canada will formally launch its new medicinal marijuana program on April 1, but in the meantime marijuana producer Tilray says the construction budget for its Nanaimo facility exceeds $10 million. [continues 503 words]
Former Victoria councillor's firm offers two cheap, prompt analyses Former Victoria Coun. Philippe Lucas is hoping to cash in on the increasing need for quality control in the lucrative cannabis industry. "What we've got right now is a multi-billion-dollar industry. In B.C., the estimate is $6- to $9-billion with virtually no quality control," said Lucas, a marijuana advocate. Lucas's Victoria-based Compassionate Analytics has just launched two new products to test levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) in cannabis. [continues 587 words]
Former Victoria councillor Philippe Lucas is hoping to cash in on the increasing call for quality control in the lucrative cannabis industry. "What we've got right now is a multibillion-dollar industry. In B. C., the estimate is $ 6 to $ 9 billion with virtually no quality control," said Lucas, a marijuana advocate. Lucas' Victoria-based Compassionate Analytics has just launched two new products to test levels of tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC) and cannabidiol ( CBD) in cannabis. THC is the active ingredient that provides the psycho- active effect ( the high) from marijuana. While it was initially thought that CBD served simply to counter the effects of THC, recent research is showing that it has substantial medicinal qualities. CBD is being seen as promising in the treatment of conditions such as Crohn's disease, posttraumatic stress disorder and multiple sclerosis. [continues 138 words]
The recent announcement that the Victoria Police Board is initiating a search for a new police chief presents an opportunity to significantly improve public health and public safety. Strategies to reduce the harms associated with substance use are core components of provincial and municipal substance-use policies, as well as those of the Vancouver Island Health Authority. These strategies - which can include needle exchange services, supervised consumption facilities and overdose-prevention protocols - are well-known means to enhance health and safety, both for people who use illicit drugs and the general population. [continues 329 words]
Ayahuasca Research Shows Unparalleled Addictions Support Ayahuasca might just sound like an exotic plant with a tricky name, but one group of researchers and one performer is discovering that the South American substance could have more miraculous properties than science may have realized - namely, as a medicine that can actually coax people out of their addictions. A new report published this past month by the Journal of Current Drug Abuse Reviews exposes the details of a study on ayahuasca-assisted treatment in a rural First Nations community in B.C. The preliminary observational study, which was completed by researchers affiliated with UVic's Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia, looked at the work of world-renowned addictions specialist Dr. Gabor Mate and his use of ayahuasca to treat "problematic substance use and stress" in the rural community. [continues 792 words]
What: T.J. Dawe's Medicine When: Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. (also tonight at the Nanaimo Art Gallery, 150 Commercial St.) Where: Metro Studio, 1411 Quadra St. Tickets: $20 advance ($25 door) www.eventbrite.ca For Vancouver actor/writer T.J. Dawe, it's been one long, strange trip indeed. The University of Victoria theatre grad brings his latest one-man show, Medicine, to the Metro Studio this weekend. The autobiographical piece details his experiences with a psychedelic concoction known as ayahuasca. [continues 615 words]
It's 2 p.m. Monday and Victoria's Cannabis Buyers Club is hopping in a way that would make any retailer green as grass with envy. Half a dozen people are lined up to buy cookies, oils, capsules, whatever. On its busiest days, this cramped little Johnson Street rabbit warren will serve 400 customers. Off in a side room, Ron Yayahkeekoot is here not to buy, but to join a discussion on vapourizing techniques. The holder of a Health Canada medical-marijuana licence, he purchases his pot elsewhere, paying $5 a gram to a designated grower - and he worries that new rules issued by Ottawa on Monday are a step backward. [continues 587 words]
Just before Christmas, I was hanging out at a CounterAttack roadblock when one of the cops pulled a big bag of pot out of a van. It looked like about six ounces, enough to make Woody Harrelson go weak at the knees. Driver busted, right? Wrong. He produced a Health Canada letter saying he was allowed to hold 180 grams of medical marijuana. "You know," grumbled one of the cops as the driver and his dope disappeared into the night, "when I went for a root canal the dentist prescribed me some T3s - but he didn't give me 100 of them." [continues 649 words]
Sensible B.C.'s campaign to decriminalize marijuana is coming to SFU March 14 and it's bringing a group of panelists that are sure to impress, including Burnaby's own Mayor Derek Corrigan. The forum, which is the fifth of fifteen scheduled events, is expected to be yet another lively discussion on the ever-popular illegal substance. "It's been a terrific show of support for cannabis reform here in B.C.," said Philippe Lucas, a former Victoria city councillor and one of five members of the campaign's advisory board. [continues 431 words]
Local municipal officials are welcoming proposed changes in federal legislation surrounding the production of medical marijuana. Both the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Union of B.C. Municipalities have raised concerns about illegal grow-ops being converted to medical grow operations, said Victoria Coun. Chris Coleman, who sits on the federal group's board. The proposed changes - Health Canada plans to take itself out of the production and distribution of the substance and open up the commercial market to companies that meet "strict security requirements" - appear to address that concern. Production of the substance would no longer be allowed in private homes. [continues 468 words]
The federal government has ignited a great debate with its recently announced plans to overhaul the 13-year-old medical marijuana program because it is far too popular. The numbers and the burgeoning size of the legal pot market are so staggering Ottawa is trying to slow it down and at the same time eliminate home growing. If registration continues apace, Health Canada estimates that by 2014, more than 50,000 people will be authorized to legally possess pot for their ills. [continues 669 words]
Medical marijuana may be an effective substitute for prescription drugs or alcohol, just as methadone is used to treat heroin addicts, says addiction researcher and former Victoria city councillor Philippe Lucas. "The fastest rate of addiction right now is to pharmaceutical opiates, and it's also the fastest rising rate of morbidity and mortality. In other words, people are [overdosing] on pharmaceutical opiates," said Lucas, who recently published a research paper online in the Journal of Addiction Research and Theory. "This is the second paper I've published this year that suggests cannabis can significantly potentially reduce the amount of pharmaceutical opiates that particularly those who suffer from chronic pain need." [continues 323 words]
Lucas, Philippe
