Claiming Medical Cannabis as a Medical Expense

We’re just under a month out from the CRA’s new individual tax filing deadline of June 1st. While it’s never anyone’s favourite time of year, some good news is that CRA has confirmed that medical cannabis is an allowable expense. Individuals must have a prescription for medical cannabis from a qualified healthcare practitioner and have purchased from a Licensed Producer (LP).  

For more information on the process and how to determine the amount you spent on medical cannabis, check out this informative blog post and video from Tilray. If you use another LP’s products, the process will likely be similar but you can always contact their customer service team for help.

Could cannabis extracts help in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19?

Could cannabis extracts help in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19? Researchers at the University of Lethbridge say their data looks promising. 

New research coming out of Alberta shows “cannabis extracts can modulate the levels of the receptors in highly relevant tissues, such as the mouth, lungs and intestinal cells,” which are target areas for the COVID-19 virus.

This early research (which still requires further investigation) draws conclusions that high CBD cannabis extracts can ultimately help to slow the virus by restricting their entry points into the body. I’ve shared more of my thoughts on this in this short video. 

Full article available here.

Lockdown Learning Series: Webisode 3 (Free Virtual Event)

Join us for our next free online event: Coping with Major Life Changes & Relationship Stressors due to COVID-19

Wednesday May 6, 2020
7:00 - 8:00 PM EDT
Free registration HERE.

Due to the overwhelming interest in our session on Coronavirus-related chronic stress, in our next webisode, I’ll be joined by clinical therapist, Meaghan Ferguson, to dive deeper into the mental and emotional side effects the virus is having on individuals, couples and families.

Job loss. Forced togetherness. Loneliness. Fear for a loved one. Home-schooling. Working from home. Loss of freedom. Financial strain.

If any of these are causing you worry, we invite you to tune in on Wednesday May 6th at 7:00 PM EDT.

Topics will include responding effectively to increased general, health and financial anxiety & specific coping strategies for dealing with children, partners and loved ones.

Registration is always free and the presentation will be followed by an interactive Q&A session. We hope to see you there!

Sarnia doctor launching self-care webinar series

A Sarnia doctor who is the mental-health lead with the local health integration network is hosting a new Lockdown Leaning webinar series.

The half-hour live webinar series hosted by Dr. Blake Pearson kicks off Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

The idea behind the series is to encourage community connection and self-care as people socially and physically distance amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Other planned topics include nutrition, relationships and medicine, while members of the public can suggest others.

“Being indoors and social distancing, it can be tough,” Carswell said, “but getting through this time, hopefully this allows us to help with that.”

Read the full article here.