The Rothman Institute at Jefferson, one of the nation's largest orthopedic practices, announced Thursday it would collaborate on a study to investigate the benefits of medical marijuana for patients suffering from chronic and acute pain. Rothman will work with Franklin BioScience, a Colorado-based cannabis grower and retailer. Franklin BioScience expects to open a medical marijuana dispensary in late-March called Beyond Hello in Bristol Township, Bucks County. "There's a link between access to cannabis and reduced opioid overdoses," said physician Ari Greis, a Rothman pain management specialist who will oversee the research. "We're all being cautiously optimistic that it could be helpful to some of our patients. Because we're leaders in orthopedic medicine, we feel this is an opportunity we can't pass up." [continues 513 words]
Congressman Pete Sessions used a speech to a group of doctors and other healthcare providers at an opioid epidemic summit Tuesday to suggest that marijuana is the gateway to addiction and as a campaign against the medical and recreational legalization movement. The Republican from Dallas called the rising number of deaths from opioid overdose a "national crisis" and implored those on the front lines of the fight, the scientific and medical communities, he said, to provide solutions he can bring to Congress, saying he will get the appropriate funding added to next month's budget bill. [continues 1053 words]
Robert Consulmagno walked into TerraVida Holistic Center in Sellersville around 9:30 a.m. Saturday and left half an hour later feeling hopeful for the first time in a while. "Help is on the way," Consulmagno said, lifting his purchase – a vape pen and cartridge of 500 mg of "Keystone Kush" – to applause from dispensary staff. "I've been waiting a long time for this." Consulmagno, a disabled Marine veteran who suffers from bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, was the first person to buy medical marijuana from TerraVida, one of two dispensaries to open in the Philadelphia area Saturday. The other, Keystone Shops, is in Devon. Pennsylvania's first dispensary opened Thursday in Butler, followed by others in Pittsburgh, Bethlehem, and Enola on Friday. [continues 917 words]
Company is gearing up to include medicinal cannabis under extended health-care benefit plans, helping offset costs for users Sun Life Assurance Co. of Canada will become the first major insurance company to add medical marijuana to its group benefits plans for Canadian companies, a pivotal move in the insurance industry that will help ease the financial burden for medical marijuana users, and a sign of the growing acceptance of cannabis in the Canadian workplace. As of March 1, Sun Life will include medical cannabis as optional coverage under an extended health-care benefit plan. Sun Life, which administers group benefits plans for more than 22,000 Canadian companies, oversees health and dental coverage for more than five million Canadians - including dependents. [continues 841 words]
New medical cannabis guidelines for family doctors stress that they should authorize marijuana for only a small fraction of patients because many of its reported benefits have not been proved by rigorous clinical trials. The guidelines, published Thursday in the Canadian Family Physician journal, warn that the number of randomized studies backing up the use of cannabis to fight various ailments is "extremely limited or entirely absent." The scientific evidence dictates that doctors should recommend the drug only when treating a handful of very specific medical conditions such as: chronic nerve pain, palliative cancer pain, muscle stiffness associated with multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injuries and the nausea and vomiting brought on by chemotherapy, according to Mike Allan, a professor of medicine at the University of Alberta and project lead for the guidelines. [continues 476 words]
Hydroponic systems to grow your own pot, an on-site bud trimming school and hand-blown glass pipe demonstrations are among the mix of exhibitors at this weekend's Hawaii Cannabis Expo. Drew Gennuso, owner of Trim Ready Hawaii, showed Ari Medina how to trim legal hemp, which looks like cannabis, Friday at the Hawaii Cannabis Expo at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall. Hydroponic systems to grow your own pot, an on-site bud trimming school and hand-blown glass pipe demonstrations are among the mix of exhibitors at this weekend's Hawaii Cannabis Expo. [continues 767 words]
Frustrated with traditional therapies for chronic pain and post-combat stress disorders, a growing number of military veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are turning to medical marijuana for their treatment, a move that has put them at sharp odds with the Trump administration. The White House has resisted calls from Democrats in Congress, pro-reform activists and even the American Legion, the nation's largest wartime veterans service organization, to support research into whether marijuana can help veterans, apparently fearing that any move by the Department of Veterans Affairs to study its effectiveness will be another step toward nationwide legalization. [continues 1156 words]
Karen Klassen has been emerging of late from her condo unit, socializing with her neighbours over coffee and when they ask what's brought her out more, she's been reluctant to answer. For at least 25 years, Klassen has endured chronic pain and she believes medicinal marijuana is what has been helping her. It began with fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis, but Klassen later suffered a broken back. The last diagnosis, which she says is the most significant, is a failed back surgery, spinal stenosis and ankylosing spondylitis. [continues 940 words]
The only thing clear about research into medical cannabis is that more research is needed. That was a conclusion expressed by many experts who gathered at the first cannabis conference hosted by the Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Medical Cannabis Research at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton West 5th Campus on the weekend. "This conference is really the initial offering we have to the scientific community," said McMaster University associate professor Jason Busse, an expert in chronic pain and a co-director of the cannabis centre that opened in October. [continues 459 words]
British Columbia's civil forfeiture regime violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms by forcing individuals to produce evidence against themselves and by resulting in penalties that are grossly disproportionate, says a new constitutional challenge. The case, which will proceed to trial in B.C. Supreme Court in November, stems from a 2015 police search of a multi-million-dollar home on Vancouver's west side that turned up hundreds of marijuana plants. It is expected to be the second constitutional case involving B.C.'s Civil Forfeiture Office heard this year; a case involving the Hells Angels is scheduled for April. [continues 672 words]
States with medical marijuana dispensaries saw "a significant decline" in opioid deaths over a 10-year period, according to a report published this week by the Journal of Health Economics. "The evidence suggests that Pennsylvania will see a reduction in opioid dependence and a reduction in overdose deaths" following the opening of the dispensaries, said David Powell, an economist for the RAND Corporation, in an interview with the Inquirer and Daily News. Pennsylvania is launching its first dispensaries next week, with the first medical marijuana products expected to be available to registered patients on Feb. 15. [continues 390 words]
Physicians are afraid of doing the right thing, says Jordan Westfall. Public health officials in Windsor-Essex are sounding alarms about overdose deaths increasing in the past year. They have stated their interest in "exploring " if the cities of Windsor and Leamington need supervised consumption sites through a "feasibility study." Supervised consumption sites are places for people to use drugs in a safer manner, with properly trained staff ensuring nobody dies of overdose. Feasibility studies are costly to taxpayers, and even more expensive for people at risk of overdose, who will pay for this consultation with their lives. [continues 484 words]
Cannabis to be available in only nine NSLC stores provincewide The Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. has chosen its Sydney River outlet as the only location where you can buy legal recreational cannabis in Cape Breton. Justice Minister Mark Furey and NSLC CEO Bret Mitchell announced during a news conference in Halifax Tuesday that nine liquor stores across the province will be renovated to accommodate pot dispensaries. Furey defended the government's decision to limit the number of stores, which leaves large swaths of rural Nova Scotia including the Strait area, the Annapolis Valley and the South [continues 838 words]
During his 25 years of researching cannabis, Dr. Daniele Piomelli has received hundreds of emails from people desperately wanting to know whether the plant can help them with medical problems. He recalls the one he received from the father of a girl with autism who was desperate for help. "Ninety-nine percent of the time, I have to say, 'We just don't know,' " said Piomelli, a professor at the University of California, Irvine. "It's heartbreaking." While Piomelli and other marijuana researchers acknowledge a shortage of research on the benefits and risks of the drug, they also said they feel the need to spread what is known about cannabis as California and seven other states move forward with legalized, recreational weed for adults. Piomelli was one of several public health experts who spoke Thursday during a legislative briefing at the state Capitol on the health effects of cannabis. [continues 385 words]
Health: Veterinarian speaks out over dangers of drug, signs of intoxication in pets Foothills veterinarians are expressing concerns animals could be exposed to marijuana when the drug is legalized in July. Dr. Tony Gerrow, at the Okotoks Veterinary Clinic, said he's seen several cases of intoxicated dogs over his 35 years and anticipates more with legalization looming. "If there are marijuana products available to the pets, whether it's accidental ingestion or it's second-hand smoke, I'm sure we're going to see more of those cases," said Gerrow. [continues 593 words]
'Crystal meth in this city is a much worse problem than opioids' The opioid epidemic that has overtaken Ontario has left its mark on Lambton County, but a more insidious problem - the widespread use of crystal methamphetamine -will have an equal, if not greater effect on crime in the future, according to the head of Sarnia Police Service's Vice Unit. Det. Sgt. John Pearce spoke about the prevalence of opioids and methamphetamine in Sarnia, the inherent dangers of these drugs, and the legalization of marijuana during a recent presentation at the Central Forum Speaker Series. [continues 1034 words]
After Vancouver, Interior Health has the second highest rate of illicit drug overdose deaths per population. This alarming statistic was a sobering thought for regional district board members after hearing a presentation by health professionals on Thursday. Administrator Rae Samson and medical health officer Dr. Silvina Mema said fentanyl is considered the cause or "poison" that is overwhelming the illicit drug supply. BC Coroners Service data show a steady increase in deaths across the province since 2007. For example, the statistics indicate that Interior Health experienced a rate of five overdoses per 100,000 population in 2007, compared to 33 in 2017. [continues 347 words]
Prescribed opiates rarely hit streets, writes Barry Ulmer. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta is happy lately, at least according to the medical regulator's new registrar. Dr. Scott McLeod wrote in these pages last week that doctors contributed to Alberta's "opioid crisis" by over-prescribing, and now they're going to help fix it. "We need to prescribe opioids more appropriately," he wrote, "and that means less. Already, prescriptions for Albertans in pain are way down, and that's terrific." [continues 660 words]
Terry Lake, the former B.C. health minister who oversaw the declaration of a public-health emergency amid the deadly fentanyl crisis, is urging more research on the effects of marijuana on opioid addictions. Now a vice-president at a medical cannabis company, Lake said there is preliminary evidence that shows marijuana can help people with addictions reduce their use of hard drugs and ease the painful symptoms of withdrawal. "I'm not saying it's the answer to the opioid crisis. I'm saying it's one of the options we should explore," said Lake, who chose not to run in last spring's provincial election. "It's very promising and deserving of further research and there's no better place to do that than in British Columbia." [continues 475 words]
People in crisis are seen quickly, while access to needed services When she was mired in a seemingly endless drug addiction, Phyliss Sauve couldn't slog her way through the health care and social services systems that were intended to help her. It was nearly impossible to make or keep appointments with doctors, drug counsellors and social workers when she had no home, no phone, no car. "You don't see any way out, and I would get frustrated, so I would just keep doing what I was doing." [continues 1752 words]
