Mar 7

Drug Fact Sheet: Marijuana

Today's blog on marijuana looks at its origin story and its mental and physical effects. Marijuana is the dried leaves and flowers of the Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica plant. The cannabis plant contains Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which is what gives people the high. There are many ways to consume marijuana including smoking using various paraphernalia, vaporizing, and eating it mixed into food like cookies.   History Marijuana dates back at least 4000 years with references to...
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Feb 20

Marijuana Legalization Talks in the News

Marijuana legalization was in the news this past week with two events in Ottawa moving things along. Thursday, February 15, Senate leaders agreed on a timeline to get federal marijuana legislation passed by the summer. On the same day also in Ottawa, the Senate legal affairs committee was hearing concerns from various criminal justice groups who will be impacted by legalization. Legal affairs committee The president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police told the committee that he...
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Jan 22

Grass Roots Efforts to Battle the Opioid Crisis

Two recent news stories show that there are many ways of battling the opioid crisis. Former BC Minister for Health, Terry Lake, has recently stated he believes that marijuana could play a part in harm reduction, and could help people come off opioids. The Roshni Clinic is a medical clinic in BC and a social services office in Alberta working to provide support to those in the South Asian community affected by drugs and alcohol. Marijuana an Option for Opioid Reduction? Terry Lake was the...
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