Important to be informed about marijuana, SACPA told
A discussion on medicinal marijuana, its uses and who is using it was the on the menu at the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs’ weekly speakers series.
Dr. Ife Abiola, medical director for the 420 Clinic, spoke on the drug and gave anecdotal information on many of the patents seen at the clinic.
He said it is important for local residents to get informed on the drug ahead of impending national legalization.
“This is going to be changing a lot of different facets of our lives,” he said. “You can expect to be seeing whether it’s through a medical clinic, dispensary or other people just using in a ubiquitous way in our lives. Everyone needs to have a certain level of education about this. “
Close to 250,000 patients are signed up for medical marijuana in Canada, compared with about 30,000 two years ago.
According to Health Canada, the number of users is growing.
Private growers licensed by Health Canada to sell to medical users will also supply the recreational pot market.
Many growers are expanding as fast as they can and Health Canada is approving licences more quickly with the department streamlining the procedure for obtaining them and hiring more staff.
Abiola said Lethbridge is the second-highest patient base for the 420 Clinic.
“There’s been a huge demand in Lethbridge,” he said. “People are very enthusiastic for medical cannabis.”
He said the majority of users he sees in the clinic are in the 50- to 65-year-old range, and consist of people looking for help with ailments such as pain relief, antinflammation medicine, and sleeping aids or anti-anxiety medication.
This includes people suffering from a host of ailments, from cancer to arthritis.
He told those in attendance the drug is useful as an alternative to opioid usage, and in places where marijuana has been legalized, instances of overdose deaths have decreased — mainly because the active component in cannabis does not affect breathing or heart rates.
“I don’t think people in this age of information need to be going into this blind,” he said.
Follow @JWSchnarrHerald on Twitter