The #CoverCannabis Project: A Look Into Long-Term Care

According to a recent report from the Ontario Long Term Care Association, approximately 64% of residents living in long term care have been diagnosed with dementia and 90% have some form of cognitive impairment.

This is one of the first areas that the Government should consider covering.

Not only have we seen that cannabinoid medicines have a strong treatment success rate, they have a safer side-effect profile compared to other traditionally used medications and are multi-modal, meaning we can often treat more than one symptom at a time and reduce other meds. This is super important amongst the elderly, as polypharmacy (taking multiple medications) is the number one cause of hospitalizations due to adverse drug reactions amongst seniors.  

So, not only can we improve quality of life and decrease side-effects through cannabinoid therapy, we can often reduce other medications, which has an inherent cost savings. Who else sees this as a win-win?

Medical Cannabis Week - Discussing Education w/ Jay Rosenthal

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to share my observations about training and educating fellow physicians in cannabinoid-based medicine.

As part of Medical Cannabis Week, we talked about the changes I’ve seen in physicians’ acceptance and readiness to learn about medical cannabis, how more practitioners are prescribing proactively vs. only after being asked by a patient, and the ongoing barriers to integrating cannabinoids into daily practice. 

We also discussed the similarities and differences that practitioners face around the world, and how our team works with international medical colleagues to share learnings and best practice. 

Huge thanks to Jay Rosenthal for the opportunity. I hope you’ll all check it out!