Health – ACMPR News

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Doctors – Treat opioid overuse with cannabis

Posted on September 8, 2016December 21, 2017 by can_admin

September 8, 2016

“Opioids overuse is the worst man-made epidemic in modern medical history; two people an hour are dying of opioids misuse in the United States, and, proportionally, the problem is likely as bad, if not worse, in Canada.”
Dr. Gary Franklin, leading expert on workers’ compensation and medical director of the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/opioid-overuse-is-creating-lost-generation-expert-says/article31547148/

That has to be a wake up call for doctors, patients and society as a whole. There is a safer solution staring us in our collective face, yet the medical profession en masse, seems so reluctant to even entertain the idea of using cannabis as a substitute or adjunct to opioid therapy. There are thousands of results from studies, data collection, and anecdotal evidence displayed when searching for cannabis reduces opioid use that one wonders why it would not be considered and prescribed and monitored to see if it helps alleviate this epidemic. Zero deaths in thousands and thousands of years of use – what do we have to lose?

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A Growing Problem

Posted on September 1, 2016September 2, 2016 by can_admin

September 2, 2016

On August 24, 2016, anyone who was a patient under the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR), was automatically eligible under the new Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) to grow their own cannabis plants at a rate of 5 plants (2 outdoors) per gram daily prescription. Well, not everyone*.

Overnight, approximately 70,000 Canadians were legally allowed to grow their own medicine (not including the 28,000 who were already eligible under a court injunction from the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMAR) program), and for many, that creates a dilemma. Yes they would love to grow their own plants and have that type of control and cost savings, but it isn’t that simple. Many are living somewhere that makes it impossible. Others don’t have the first clue how to go about setting up a safe, secure grow room. Some simply don’t have the money to invest in the equipment needed to start. Eventually the business community will step up and provide answers and services that will help solve the problems.
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Calgary Patients Finding Relief

Posted on May 23, 2016May 25, 2016 by can_admin

May 23, 2016

No one has stepped up to help Calgary patients who want or need cannabis for their health since the Universal Compassion Centre from 1998-2000, followed by the Calgary Medicinal Marijuana Center. These underground compassion clubs offered cannabis directly to the patient.

The government’s legal program to acquire cannabis through Licensed Producers requires your doctor to sign a form that becomes the prescription. Most doctors refuse, so the barriers to the program became insurmountable to the point the law was struck down in Federal Court and must be fixed by August so patients can again grow their own.
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The Need For Dispensaries

Posted on May 4, 2016June 1, 2016 by can_admin

May 4, 2016

The people who run dispensaries in Vancouver, Toronto and elsewhere, claim there is a need for their services. On the other side, most municipalities claim the need doesn’t exist because people can buy from Licensed Producers (LP’s).

If we were introducing cannabis to society for the first time, then the government could implement any system it desired and people would likely be okay with it, but cannabis has been around before we all took our first breath, and consumers have already figured out ways to access the plant without government assistance or doctors permission.

In order to access legal cannabis, patients need their doctor to sign a prescription for them to submit to an LP. Most doctors refuse so this system is broken from the onset. Clinics are opening up around the country that help patients access the LP’s, but many want a fee of $200-$400 to make it happen. There are also issues with supply, quality and other problems that have been inherent in the growing pains of this new industry that is run by many people who have never grown cannabis before.
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Why People Use Cannabis

Posted on April 8, 2016June 11, 2016 by ac_admin

ABOUT CANNABIS

The Herb Society of America defines a herb as “any plant that may be used for pleasure, fragrance or physic.”
Education removes many of the myths surrrounding cannabis (also known as marijuana) and promotion of it’s healing properties are becoming widespread and mainstream at an unprecedented rate.

The truth is:
1) Cannabis has been used as medicine for 4,700 years in many cultures (first recorded use: China 2737 B.C.)
2) There has never been a single death attributed to cannabis.

It is one of the oldest and safest medicines ever used. Plain and simple. The reason it is illegal is politically motivated and has nothing to do with its safety.⁽¹⁾ People realize the laws are unrealistic which is why 92 % of Canadians⁽²⁾ support legal intergration of this herb into society.
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Response to Marihuana Medical Access Regulations (MMAR)

Posted on March 28, 2016May 25, 2016 by ac_admin

Bruce Erickson,
Office of Controlled Substances,
Department of Health,
Address Locator 3503D,
Ottawa, Ontario,
K1A 1B9;
Email: bruce_erickson@hc-sc.gc.ca

May 6, 2001

Mr. Erickson,

The public has been invited to respond to the Marihuana Medical Access Regulations (MMAR) published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, on April 7, 2001.

The government feels the MMAR is an appropriate and efficient response to address concerns raised in the Parker decision about the process currently used under section 56 of the CDSA by attempting to meet the following criteria :

1) meet the mandatory requirements of all international drug control Conventions, to the extent possible, in consideration of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms;

2) be developed and implemented by July 31, 2001;

3) be clear and easy to implement, administer and enforce;

4) not unduly restrict the availability of marihuana to patients who may receive health benefits from its use; and

5) minimize any increase in regulatory burden on patients, medical practitioners, medical licensing authorities, and enforcement agencies.
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University Of Calgary: Complementary Medicine Speaker Series

Posted on March 28, 2016May 25, 2016 by ac_admin

Complementary Medicine Speaker Series
Medical Marijuana
University Of Calgary
March 8, 2001

I would like to thank Michael Tseng very much for having the foresight to create this remarkable opportunity for all of us. My name is Debra Harper and it is a pleasure to be here today to participate in this discussion.

Last summer, I organized an Information Night for the Universal Compassion Centre, a non-profit society which provided cannabis to members with medical conditions; because I saw a similar need for those of us involved with medical marijuana to begin to publicly inform the community, medical establishment, and government officials about this herb. Due to many difficulties, the UCC is now dormant, but I’m involved in new ventures to help facilitate cannabis therapy, and believe forums such as this, initiated by other stakeholders, is definitely a sign of the times.

Indeed, we are in a new century, a new age, and the face of traditional Western medicine is slowly changing. The aging boomer population are looking for choices that suit their desire for safer, natural remedies to treat their ailments. Open-mindedness about complementary medicines will benefit the medical profession and patients alike, and it is very encouraging to see you here today to as we discuss this particularly controversial medicine known as cannabis or marijuana.
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Open Letter To Canadian Health Minister Allan Rock

Posted on October 3, 1999May 25, 2016 by can_admin

Canada: PUB LTE: Open Letter To Canadian Health Minister Allan

URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99/n1080/a01.html
Pubdate: Sun, 03 Oct 1999
Source: Edmonton Sun (Canada)
Comment: Parenthetical remark by the Sun editor
Section: Letter of the Week
Author: Debra Harper, http://www.drugsense.org/ucc/

AN OPEN LETTER TO CANADIAN HEALTH MINISTER ALLAN ROCK.

On June 26, 1999, a letter was faxed to Calgary police Chief Christine Silverberg requesting a meeting with Universal Compassion Centre ( UCC ) directors to discuss the issue of a medicinal cannabis centre operating in the city. Her “compassionate” response speaks for itself. The police executed a search warrant on Aug. 25 at the residence of Grant Krieger ( a sufferer of multiple sclerosis ) who was growing medicinal herbs.
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