Medical cannabis shouldn't be subject to tax: Ottawa Citizen

You’ve heard me talk about the cost burden of medical marijuana before; it’s an issue that’s very important to me as a doctor focused on patient and family-centred care.

When the federal government released its 2018 budget, it came as a surprise to many that it was planning to add a new excise tax on medical cannabis. Excise tax is usually reserved for products deemed to have a high social cost, such as tobacco or alcohol. However, a budget branded with the motto, “giving every Canadian a real and fair chance at success,” has seemed to overlook Canadian families already struggling with affordability and access to medical cannabis. 

In this article, Jenna Valleriani, does an excellent job exploring why medical cannabis, if authorized by a health-care provider for medical purposes, should be treated any different than most prescription medicines. 

If this issue is important to you, I encourage you to reach out to your local government representatives and make your voice heard. 

Yours in good health - Blake

Full article here.

Medical cannabis safer for elderly with chronic pain than opioids: European Pharmaceutical Review

Medical cannabis therapy can significantly reduce chronic pain in patients age 65 and older without adverse effects, according to researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and the Cannabis Clinical Research Institute at Soroka University Medical Center.

The new study found that cannabis therapy is safe and efficacious for elderly patients who are seeking to address cancer symptoms, Parkinson’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and other medical issues.

“While older patients represent a large and growing population of medical cannabis users, few studies have addressed how it affects this particular group, which also suffers from dementia, frequent falls, mobility problems, and hearing and visual impairments,” says Victor Novack, a Professor of Medicinein the BGU Faculty of Health Sciences (FOHS), and head of the Soroka Cannabis Clinical Research Institute. 

“After monitoring patients 65 and older for six months, we found medical cannabis treatment significantly relieves pain and improves quality of life for seniors with minimal side effects reported.” Read full article here and review research here.

Research: CBD Treatment for Cannabis Users with Psychosis, Schizophrenia Bulletin (2018.44.1)

A major factor associated with poor prognostic outcome after a first psychotic break is cannabis misuse, which is prevalent in schizophrenia and particularly common in individuals with recent-onset psychosis. Behavioral interventions aimed at reducing cannabis use have been unsuccessful in this population. New research published in the Schizophrenia Bulletin, suggests that CBD may improve the disease trajectory of individuals with early psychosis and comorbid cannabis misuse in particular—a population with currently poor prognostic outcome and no specialized effective intervention. Read more.

Medicine or Myth? The Leaf Cannabis News

The College of Family Physicians of Canada drew the ire of Canadian cannabis advocates in February, when it published a set of guidelines meant to help primary-care physicians decide when to prescribe cannabis.

Cannabis and its chemical constituents, concluded the guidelines published in the medical journal Canadian Family Physician, "are not recommended for most patients and conditions by far."

However, as Soloman Israel reports, there is far more to this story. Read on for some interesting perspectives on cannabis as medicine and why large clinical studies are under-funded.

Montel Williams: Cannabis 'changed my life': Yahoo News

After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis around 1999 and struggling with opioid addiction to manage the pain, Montel Williams says that finding cannabis was a game-changer.

Williams shares with Yahoo Lifestyle that he “took a journey down opioid lane for a year and a half, just trying to shut the pain down to the point that I was walking around in a pseudo-suicidal state.”

He said shifting from opioids to cannabis was what that turned his life around. “The journey that I took with cannabis — it changed my life,” he says.  Full article here.

Research: Impact of co-administration of oxycodone and smoked cannabis on analgesia and abuse liability, Neuropsychopharmacology (Feb 2018)

New research published in the Feb 2018 issue of Neuropsychopharmacology journal suggests: "Cannabis enhances the analgesic effects of sub-threshold oxycodone, suggesting synergy, without increases in cannabis’s abuse liability.” Read abstract here.

Canadian companies should assess their marijuana policies before legalization: Globe and Mail

A recent survey by the Human Resources Professional Association released found that 71 per cent of HR professionals believe their workplaces are not prepared to deal with the coming legalization of recreational marijuana, including issues related to impairment, usage on the premises and safety. This article largely focuses on the impact legalization of recreational marijuana will have on employers, but it's also a timely reminder for HR policymakers to think about their stance on medical cannabis, which could help employees get back to work faster and is a safe alternative to many other more addictive medications.

Research: Intractable Pain Patients in the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program: Experience of Enrollees during the First Five Months, Minnesota Department of Health (March 2018)

Executive Summary:

In May 2014, Minnesota became the 22nd state to create a medical cannabis program. Distribution of extracted cannabis products in liquid or oil form to qualified, enrolled patients began July 1, 2015. Intractable pain was added to the list of qualifying conditions for the program effective August 1, 2016. Intractable pain is defined in the program as, “pain whose cause cannot be removed and, according to generally accepted medical practice, the full range of pain management modalities appropriate for this patient has been used without adequate result or with intolerable side effects.” This report draws on data from enrollment, purchasing, symptom and side effect ratings at time of each purchase, and survey results to describe the experience of patients newly enrolled in the program for intractable pain during the first five months it was a qualifying condition. Full report here. Helpful summary of results here.

Five most common uses for medical cannabis in 65+ demographic: Strainprint

Seniors are among one of the largest existing and growing demographics of medical cannabis users, evidenced by international trends as well as supported by the data collected from the Strainprint app, a mobile application that helps medical cannabis users track their intake and learn which strains and dosages work best for them. Strainprint also provides doctors and clinics with observational data to improve industry treatment knowledge. Based on their current data, here are the top five conditions for which people aged 65 and over are using medical cannabis. Full article.