Pubdate: Fri, 24 Feb 2017
Source: Penticton Western (CN BC)
Copyright: 2017 Penticton Western
Contact:  http://www.pentictonwesternnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1310
Author: Martyn Lewis

NOT IN A POSITION TO PRACTICE MEDICINE

Regarding Bob Jaenicke's letter (Penticton Western News, Feb. 17, Not
thumbing our noses at council) about his frustrations at Okanagan
Cannabis Solutions - I feel obliged to comment as a licensed
pharmacist,with a master of pharmacy degree from the United Kingdom.

As all of our Penticton marijuana dispensaries certainly may mean very
well, you are absolutely not in a position to practice any form of
medicine, nor dispense medicine.It is not ethical for you to be
talking about marijuana, an unlicensed drug, as a medicine whilst
earning money from the sale of it. I amvery much pro-legalization of
all recreational drugs, but medicinal drugs should not be touched by
anybody bar a doctor or pharmacist, as is the legal consensus in North
America.

I am fed up of people quoting lack of death statistics from marijuana
(which may indeed be true)and more worryingly,indications for it's use
("arthritis, anxiety, insomnia, MS, glaucoma, seizures").Because
marijuana is unfortunately classified, it is literally unethical for
professionals to research it via randomized controlled drug trials
versus placebo, so we cannot draw safety and efficacy conclusions yet.
Although, we do have a small number of compelling studies linking
marijuana with schizophrenia(Google Swedish soldiers study, for instance).

What I am trying to say is: you, and unqualified dispensary owners
like you, should absolutely not be leading this venture into the world
of classified drugs. The fact that you are is deeply concerning. The
fact that Trudeau has no plan is annoying. The fact that the city is
already granting licenses to unqualified people is confusing, but
moreover, the fact that you would hold my city to ransom due to the
bad business of unaffordable legal costs, is morally
unforgivable.

Martyn Lewis, MPharm

Penticton
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MAP posted-by: Matt