AHS urges public to be cautious with weed
By Gillian Slade on October 17, 2018.
gslade@medicinehatnews.com @MHNGillianSlade After years of successfully making people aware of the hazards of smoking, the legalization of cannabis could set that whole campaign back, says Alberta Health Services. It could mean the “normalization of smoking again,” said Dr. Lizette Elumir, south zone medical officer of health. The other health concern is youth under the age of 25 consuming cannabis. At that age their brain is still developing and there is the potential to affect memory, learning ability and mental health, said Elumir. As an intoxicant and social lubricant, it is the psychoactive compound of cannabis, delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that will attract attention. The cannabidiol (CBD), which is non-psychoactive, has no alcohol-like mind altering effect but has potential medical benefits, said Dr. Gaylord Wardell, anesthesiologist and pain specialist. Smoked THC results in intoxication that peaks in a few minutes and lasts about 45 minutes. With vaporization the onset is a few minutes later and it lasts a few minutes longer, said Wardell. Orally and rectally, the maximum effect is only seen after 90 minutes or longer, which is why folks new to cannabis often use too much orally and end up with more than they bargained for. RELATED: Let them smoke weed The history of cannabis being illegal explains the lack of medical research on the subject, said Wardell. In 1972, Attorney General John Mitchell, under President Nixon, made cannabis a Schedule 1 narcotic declared highly addictive with no medical value. “Considering the way in which the deck has been stacked against medicinal cannabis, the legalization of its use in Canadian medicine is to be considered a miracle,” said Wardell. “I do feel that using cannabis for pain should be supervised by a medical professional because pain is complicated and a diagnosis is very important.” Wardell has a warning about cannabis on the black market. “Black market cannabis will be just as potentially contaminated with fentanyl, cocaine, meth or who knows what after Oct. 17,” said Wardell. There is the risk of addiction, too, said Elumir. Smoking and alcohol are legal and yet both are highly addictive. “It is a substance that alters your brain and can be addictive,” said Elumir, noting it is also important to not mix it with other substances. A spokesperson for the minister of health said the main focus “is raising awareness about the public health issues surrounding cannabis and ensuring broad public awareness around the potential impacts of cannabis use on someone’s health and promoting safety on roadways, in workplaces and in public spaces.” We are unlikely to see huge numbers of people who have never used cannabis before suddenly partakin,g and we are not likely to see people who have been consuming suddenly taking much more. The research does not support this, said Elumir. “In my personal opinion the normalization of recreational cannabis will eventually be seen as the beginning of a process leading to the reduction of the harm done by organized crime and its exploitation of the poor, the poorly educated and the socially disadvantaged,” said Wardell. 17
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