Happy 420 part one

420 (April 20^th) is here but before everyone smokes a big fatty to celebrate, I wanted write about my thoughts about the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana in Canada.  

First and foremost, Smoking pot should not be a criminal offense and I am happy that Canada has started the liberalization process to make cannabis legal, however, I think there are many things that some have overlooked during this process,  Mainly the difference between recreational and medical use and the rules and regulations behind each. 

The regulation on access to cannabis for medical purposes was established in 2002, where medical Doctors could legally prescribe cannabis to their patients for certain conditions without the fear of prosecution.  Then in 2014 Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations authorized licensed production of medical cannabis and the prescriptions for pot skyrocketed and dispensaries started popping up everywhere, even though selling marijuana over the counter is still illegal, with or without a pot card. Yes, it is illegal to sell cannabis and related products over the counter to anyone.  Hence the all the raids you hear about in the news. Even some employees that worked at some of these dispensaries didn’t know it was illegal until they got arrested. The dispensaries are operating illegally in anticipation that the law will pass that they can legally sell their products. In the long run, the risk of fines and court costs are minimal compared to the potential of being one of the selected few that will be allowed to operate in any given city once the law has changed. So if it is illegal to sell pot over the counter to anyone, then why do I need to prescription to buy a product that it illegal anyway?   Truth is, you really don’t.  it’s up to the dispensary to determine who they sell to and most try to “weed” out random pot heads by requiring a prescription or pot license, to show they are trying to have some type of regulation in place.  They are pushing for decimalization but are further stigmatizing it by only selling it for medical purposes.  This is what I have a problem with.   I’ll get back to this in a minute.

Several years ago, I suffered a debilitating back injury. Many avenues were explored to help elevate the pain associated with it.   After years of physiotherapy, traction, exercise and medication I still live with the chronic pain.  Though surgery is  pending because I healed crocked, I still have one option before this last resort for relief.  Cannabis.  I had lengthy discussions with my doctors about it and for me the pros definitely outweigh the cons.   Ok Doc, sign me up.  It’s better then relaying on heavy pain killers I was afraid to take.  To “legally” buy pot for medical use in Canada, you must have a prescription from a medical doctor and/or obtain a license, order it from a licensed producer and get in sent through the mail.   Once I am registered at any of the regulated producers, I can go on their web site and order pretty much whatever I want.  some places and companies have different rules but this was my experience.  As someone that hasn’t  touched this stuff in several years I was overwhelmed and frustrated with this.  This is the first time I realized the benefits and need for dispensaries.  My first attempt at self medication involved me blindly ordering some cannabis oil I read in a short description on the company’s web site.   It came in the mail 4 days later with my pot card (license to tell the authorizes that I am allowed to have this stuff) a syringe and a chart on how to take it.  Basically It says to take a tiny amount  (0.2 ml) and build up from there until I can feel the effects of it.  I don’t know when to take it, how often to take it, what kind I should take. Nothing.  Just me and this stupid chart to figure it out.  The call center is useless because they have no way of knowing how I will react to it.  Almost a full bottle later and several weeks of figuring out my dose I’m at 20ml to notice any relief.  And at $90 a bottle, its was an expensive experiment.   If I continue I’m looking at about $200 a month, significantly more then the few dollars I paid for my pills at the pharmacy.  This is not looking good.  

I went out for a dinner one evening and while I was walking from my car to the restaurant, I noticed a dispensary.  I popped in after dinner.  I had to be buzzed in.  I meet with an employee, told him about my issues and my recent experiences and asked what I needed to do to buy their products.  I didn’t have my card with me but I just happened to be at my doctors that day and had a new prescription for my back with me.  That was enough and I was signed up on the spot.  It was nice that I could talk to an actual person about the different types of pot, strains, edibles, oils, and their benefits.  I told him that I wanted something for my back but I also suffered from an anxiety disorder for most of my life and I didn’t want to take something that was going to make that worse.  He told me that he suffered from the same thing, that he was on antidepressants for years, tried pot and he’s off all the evils pharmaceuticals for good.  This is where I walked out of store and brings me back to my first point.  

If people want to use cannabis for recreational use, they should be able to.  They should be able to walk into a dispensary without a card or prescription and pick out their pot like they are picking out flavours for a blizzard at dairy queen.  Its no different then someone walking into the LCBO or beer store.  What I have a big problem with is marketing Marijuana for Medical Purposes and how it is sold.  Before you get your panties in a bunch ask yourself this; would it be ok for someone to walk into the liquor store, go up to a random employee, tell them that they have back pain and ask the employee to recommend something that will help?  Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it but this is what is going on at some of these dispensaries.   But they have a prescription right?  Yes they do, but if I had a prescription for penicillin, I have to get it from a licensed pharmacist, that knows what other medications I am taking, the side effects, if it counteracts with other things I am taking, detailed instructions on how to take it, medical information and its dispensed by medical professional.   But its natural and none additive (unlike alcohol).  Just because something natural doesn’t mean its safe and just because something physically none habit forming doesn’t mean its not additive.  Opium is natural too.  People have died from water poisoning and addiction is a state of being enslaved to a habit that is psychologically or physically habit-forming which could mean anything can be addictive.   Its naïve to think that pot is completely harmless and its very dangerous for people at these dispensary’s to convey this message.  Someone with no medical background should not being giving out medical advice. Period.  There is a reason while medical doctors go through several years of school and sales staff do not.  They might be experts on the products they are selling but in no way does that qualify them to dole out medical advice.  The dispensaries are there to do one thing, sell their products.  If I went to shopper’s drug mart with prescription for antidepressants and a staff member recommended that I take vitamins instead, they’d be fired on the spot.   It makes sense why the government was looking at the idea of having pot dispensed at pharmacies.  This needs to be regulated better then it is. While that employee didn’t directly tell me I should go off all my meds and take pot instead, I also wasn’t warned of the possible repercussions if I did or possible side effects of their products and who would be responsible if i did have a bad reaction? what if i ate too much of the of brownies i bought and ended up falling on the sidewalk? i guess you really dont know how you are going to react to any medications natural or not but there are no warning labels on my brownies like they are on my pill bottles. and its the edibles that the government has a big problem with. 

 There is a connection between drug use and mental illness.  Studies have shown that while drug use (including and especially marijuana) doesn’t directly “cause” a mental illness, someone that has a predisposition to mental illness might get triggered by it and can make someone with a pre-existing condition worse.  That thought terrifies me, which is why I was so reluctant to try it in the first place.  i have only begone too dive into this subject.

To be continued........