The Observer - Sarnia Doctor Wants Health Insurance Coverage for Medical Cannabis Use

Although we have made huge gains in improving patient access to medical cannabis in Canada, for many patients, one of the main barriers continues to be cost. 

For many of my patients, starting cannabinoid therapy has been life-changing and has allowed them to reduce or eliminate other medications that weren’t providing benefit or that were causing intolerable side-effects. 

Unfortunately, despite the success they are having on cannabinoid therapy, some individuals are ultimately forced to make the tough decision to go back on their previous medications (opioids, anti-psychotics, antidepressants, etc.) since they are covered by insurance. In Canada, with one of the world’s most admired health systems, that’s a VERY tough pill to swallow. 

At the very least, treatment for the most vulnerable individuals - like seniors with dementia and children with treatment resistant epilepsy - must be covered.

Huge thanks to Tyler Kula from The Observer for helping me raise awareness of this important issue. 

Read the full article here.

World Alzheimer's Day

Today is World Alzheimer’s Day. Did you know…

• Nearly 750,000 Canadians are living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia

• Every 65 seconds someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s disease

• ⅔ of those diagnosed are women

• A woman in her sixties is twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease in her lifetime than breast cancer

• After 60, a woman has a 1 in 5 chance of developing Alzheimer’s

These are alarming stats - but did you also know that healthy habits (think diet, exercise and lifestyle changes) can prevent or slow the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease? 

Alzheimer’s doesn’t have to be a natural part of aging. Over the next few days we’ll be sharing some top tips from some Alzheimer’s experts around the world to help you feel empowered. 

Medical cannabis study for spinal injury pain wins NSW Health funding

Encouraging news coming out of the University of Sydney in Australia. Researchers at the University’s Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics have just been awarded 1.7 million to research the severe chronic pain that commonly occurs after spinal cord injury.

Why this matters: Current treatments for chronic pain caused by spinal injury can cause side effects almost as debilitating as the pain it is treating. For the very first time, researchers will investigate the effects of CBD on brain function in chronic pain and the relationship between changes in pain and brain structure and function associated with CBD.

The impact of this could be very wide reaching: “While there are some studies showing that CBD can reduce pain in other chronic conditions, no one fully understands how it works to reduce pain. Our study can help tease this out,” said researcher, Professor Luke Henderson.

Full article available here.

International Overdose Awareness Day 2020

Yesterday was International Overdose Awareness Day. 

Eleven Canadians die every day in Canada due to opioid-related causes, and like so much else in the post-pandemic world, COVID has made the situation even worse. 

British Columbia and Alberta are two of the Canadian provinces hit the hardest by the opioid epidemic. After taking a terrible toll in 2017 and 2018, death rates in 2019 were significantly improving: Post-COVID, the opioid crisis is worse than ever.

While this is a complex public health problem with no easy solution, one thing is clear: If we can reduce opioid prescribing from the start, we can reduce dependency and ultimately reduce deaths. But as a medical community, we need to make some bold changes and be open to new approaches. 

In my previous role as the Primary Care Lead for our regional Opioid Reduction Strategy, I was proud to work with hundreds of forward-thinking physicians, pharmacists and nurses to provide education in how cannabinoids can be used as a safe and effective opioid alternative, in the management of chronic pain. As cannabinoids are opioid-sparing, they can also be used by physicians to help patients wean their current opioid dose.  

Sadly, despite the evidence and superior safety profile, cannabinoids are still extremely under-utilized by most physicians. With advances in both evidence and patient access, in 2020, there is no reason why cannabinoid medicine shouldn’t be part of every physician’s pain management toolbox, where it is legally available. 

In the meantime, my goal is to work with physicians from as many countries as possible, to evolve medicine and help further the international medical community’s thinking about pain management and harm reduction.

Full article available here.