MEDICAL MARIJUANA related regulations in Canada is changed.
The current regulation asks for patients to get a Medical Document from a physician and then purchase Medical Marijuana from a Health Canada licensed producer. These licensed producers are locations that are approved by Health Canada to grow and send the Marijuana to patients who have a medical document or to their physicians.
Health Canada does not recognize Marijuana as a medication but because the courts have asked for reasonable access of patients to Medical Marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation, the current regulations are made to allow that access in a regulated manner.
Currently there is not enough evidence of effect for Medical Marijuana and there is no guideline available for use and dosages of this plant for medical purposes. As a result the use of Medical Marijuana is more advisable for the medical conditions that are not responding to the conventional treatments or if the usual treatments are not suitable for patient.
For example at our clinic we try to help patients suffering from the following conditions by Medical Marijuana:
- Fibromyalgia failed to all other treatments
- Neuropathic pain: Diabetic, Post herpetic, post traumatic, after surgery, after chemotherapy
- Central pain – Post central nervous system trauma, infection or stroke
- Phantom limb pain not responding to conventional treatments
- Advanced degenerative joints diseases failed to other therapies
- Failed back syndrome (Back pain that has failed to improve by surgery) not responding to interventional treatments
- Complex regional pain syndrome not responding to interventional treatments
- Chronic debilitating urogenital pain.
Addiction risk assessment needs to be done before this treatment is started and all efforts should be made to prevent addiction.
Marijuana can cause cognitive impairments and driving or other activities needing full cognitive capacity may be impaired and patients need to be aware of this issue.
Patients using Marijuana may experience mood and movement coordination problems.
Like any other treatment, this is not a solution for all. It may be of great value for some patients while not effective at all or harmful for others.
For more information or for access to Toronto Poly Clinic Medical Marijuana program please call:
416 250 7171 or ask your doctor to fax referral to: 416 250 0323 attention Dr. Kevin ROD
