News & Media
MMAR program will be extended INJUNCTION BY LAWYER JOHN CONROYS GETS TRACTION.
TO READ THE INJUNCTION CLICK ON THE READ MORE BUTTON BELOW
The Applicants who held, as of September 30, 2013, or were issued thereafter a valid Personal-use Production Licence pursuant to section 24 of the Marihuana Medical Access Regulations, or a Designated-person Production Licence pursuant to section 34 of the Marihuana Medical Access Regulations, are exempt from the repeal of the Marihuana Medical Access Regulations and any other operation of the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations which is inconsistent with the operation of the Marihuana Medical Access Regulations, to the extent that the Designated-person Production Licence or Personal-use Production Licence held by the Applicant shall remain valid until such time as a decision in this case is rendered at trial and subject to the terms of paragraph 4 of this Order.... read the entire document here
Medical marijuana ‘completely fine’: Peter MacKay
Justice Minister says many ill Canadians find comfort in drug
CBC News Posted: Jan 10, 2014 8:07 AM AT Last Updated: Jan 10, 2014 4:31 PM AT
Federal Justice Minister Peter MacKay is defending the use of medical marijuana. His remarks follow news a British Columbia-based company promoting the medicinal drug plans to expand into Nova Scotia. “Having it regulated, having it made legally available to Nova Scotians — I’m completely fine with that as long as it’s in compliance with Health Canada and they have met the approvals,” the Central Nova MP told CBC.
“I don't think there's any denying that medical marijuana is a great source of comfort and treatment for Canadians.”
The Medicinal Cannabis Resource Centre in Vancouver said it will open a Nova Scotia clinic in March, just as new federal rules come into force prohibiting individuals from growing their own medical marijuana.
The Vancouver company arranges the Health Canada medical approval needed to obtain medical marijuana and supplies a doctor to sign the necessary forms.
The company is advertising its long-distance service to Nova Scotians. For $400, a doctor based in British Columbia or Ontario will carry out a 30 to 40-minute exam via Skype prior to signing the Health Canada form.
The company said the Skype exam is rigorous, but Nova Scotia’s Health Minister Leo Glavine said he has concerns “If there’s going to be prescribing medical marijuana, it’s going to be after a full medical evaluation of the patient,” he said.
Some in the medical profession frown on the drug. Doctors Nova Scotia — the professional association representing physicians in the province — says medical marijuana has not been adequately tested to establish toxicity, dosage and interaction with other drugs.
“On the whole we’re still very uncomfortable with the whole notion of medical marijuana as an effective clinical treatment,” said Kevin Chapman, the organization's director of health policy.
The decision to sanction the use of medical marijuana is left to the discretion of individual doctors.
Paloma Aguilar, press secretary for MacKay's office, contacted CBC News Friday afternoon wishing to clarify the justice minister's statements on medical marijuana made Thursday. The statement reads:
“Courts in Canada have ruled that the government must provide legal access to marijuana for those who claim a medical need. Our government believes that access to marijuana for medical purposes must be done in a fashion that prioritizes public safety. That's why we announced changes to the medical marijuana program that will protect public safety and remove the ability to grow in homes.”
Vancouver firm plans medical marijuana clinic for Halifax
CLARE MELLOR STAFF REPORTER
Published January 12, 2014 - 9:06am
Last Updated January 12, 2014 - 9:08am
A Vancouver firm is planning to open a medical marijuana clinic in Halifax because of what it sees as significant demand and a lack of physicians here willing to support patient use of medical marijuana.
Somebody who wants marijuana for medical use must have a qualifying illness and a medical document signed by a physician. They can then use that document to legally buy the drug from a Health Canada licensed producer.
“If a doctor is not comfortable with cannabis . . . the doctor will say, “I don't know anything about it, I can't support you in that,”said Terry Roycroft , founder and president of the Medicinal Cannabis Resource Centre, based in Vancouver.
“We’ve had a lot of calls from back east, and Nova Scotia primarily.” The Halifax centre will open in March and have a physician on staff, Roycroft said late Friday.
The Vancouver centre, founded in 2010, recently began offering consultations by Skype to residents of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland who lack a physician to provide support and sign documents allowing them to buy medical marijuana. Clients must have already been been diagnosed by their own physicians with qualifying medical conditions.
The company charges a fee of $400, plus taxes, for the Skype service and $300 plus tax for office consultations.
“We are secondary care providers. We do not diagnose a patient with their illness, nor do we do any kind of examination, “Roycroft said.
Medicinal Cannabis Resource Centre's physicians also provide education about medical marijuana use, he said.
“We are more of a consulting resource centre and help these patients in all matters of cannabis, where they need to get it and what is best medicine — is it juicing, is it eating pills, is it smoking, is it vapourizing?”
Roycroft said the company recently began running some advertisements in Eastern Canada about its services and has had a robust response. It has carried out about 25 to 30 consultations with residents of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
“We decided at this point that (Halifax) is probably a good area to assist patients in.”
The company is also opening up a similar clinic in Ontario, he said.
As of April 1, new federal regulations governing access to medical marijuana come into effect so the drug may only be legally purchased from a Health Canada licensed producer.
That producer will be able send the drug to a physician for transfer to the patient, Roycroft said.
“The licensed producer will be able to send the product to us, and then you will be able to come in, like a pharmacy, and actually get your medicine,” he said.
A coalition has been set up and gaining ground as many Canadians are joining the crusade against the proposed changes to the MMAR program.
Canadians against the new proposed regulations on Medical Marijuana.
JANUARY 23, 2013 http://www.mmarcoalitionagainstrepeal.com/
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO THE LEFT TO DOWNLOAD THE PDF
It is no secret that our world is seeing a huge increase in poor health and cancer cases. It should come as no surprise when we look at what we eat daily, the condition of our environment and the types of body care products we use daily that contain a ton of cancer causing agents. Mainstream medicine suggests that chemotherapy and radiation are the best means to go about treating cancer, but there is a growing body of evidence to suggest there exist much better cures.
Cannabinoids may very well be one of the best disease and cancer fighting treatments out there. If you have heard of Rick Simpson you have heard of his methods of preparing cannabis or hemp in such a way where he is able to extract the oil from it and use that oil to treat cancer. Rick has been very successful in his work and his popularity is growing as a result. At the same time, he has received a great deal of flack for his methods as they pose a serious threat to the business that is cancer.
What are cannabinoids?
Cannabinoids refer to any of a group of related compounds that include cannabinol and the active constituents of cannabis. They activate canbinoid receptors in the body. The body itself produces compounds called endocannabinoids and they play a role in many processes within the body that help to create a healthy environment. Cannabinoids also play a role in immune system generation and re-generation. The body regenerates best when it’s saturated with Phyto-Cannabinoids. Cannabinoids can also be found in Cannabis. It is important to note that the cannabinoids are plentiful in both hemp and cannabis. The differentiation between hemp and cannabis is simply that hemp only contains 0.3% THC while cannabis is 0.4% THC or higher. (Technically they are both strains of Cannabis Sativa.)
Cannabinoids have been proven to reduce cancer cells as they have a great impact on the rebuilding of the immune system. While not every strain of cannabis has the same effect, more and more patients are seeing success in cancer reduction in a short period of time by using cannabis. Contrary to popular thought and belief, smoking the cannabis does not assist a great deal in treating disease within the body as therapeutic levels cannot be reached through smoking. Creating oil from the plant or eating the plant is the best way to go about getting the necessary ingredients which are the cannabinoids. Another aspect of smoking the cannabis that must be looked at is the fact that when the cannabis is heated and burnt it changes the chemical structure and acidity of the THC which changes its ability to be therapeutic. Further, anytime you burn something and inhale it, you create oxidation within the body. That oxidation is not healthy for the body and can lead to health issues itself.
Cannabinoids can prevent cancer, reduce heart attacks by 66% and insulin dependent diabetes by 58%. Cannabis clinician Dr. William Courtney recommends drinking 4 – 8 ounces of raw flower and leaf juice from any Hemp plant.
Cannabis – whether Sativa, Indica, Ruderalis, male, female, hermaphrodite, wild, bred for fiber, seeds or medicinal resin – is a vegetable with every dietary essential we can’t synthesize: Essential Amino Acids, Essential Fatty Acids, Essential Cannabinoid acids and hundreds of anti-Cancer compounds. It is important to note that when we isolate to important compounds of cannabis and take them in supplement we miss out of the bio-synergistic compounds that go along with it in full plant form. This makes it more difficult for the body to determine what exactly it is taking in.
“If you heat the plant, you will decarboxylate THC-acid and you will get high, you”ll get your 10 mg. If you don’t heat it, you can go up to five or six hundred milligrams & use it as a Dietary Cannabis. . . and push it up to the Anti-oxidant and Neuro-protective levels which come into play at hundreds of milligrams,” stated Dr. William Courtney.
The Endocannabinoid System (ECS) maintains our biological systems by regulating each cell tissue. It uses Arachadonic acid/Omega 6 to make Endo-Cannabinoids: fatty molecules that communicate harm between cells. Dietary Cannabis mimics the ECS by providing Cannabinoids when there is an Arachadonic acid deficiency or Clinical Cannabinoid Deficiency.
Doctors who have been researching cannabis and it’s benefits in diet for some time have recommended that people make cannabis a part of their everyday diet. To reiterate, the plant does not need to contain high levels of THC and it can simply be hemp. Eating Cannabis that does contain THC will not get you high. Also, smoking it does not give the same results as eating or juicing the plant. If we view the plant simple as a vegetable like all other vegetables we eat, it makes sense that we wouldn’t put it inside rolling papers and smoke it to get the nutritional benefits.
Cannabis is Key to Good Health When We Eat it vs. Smoke it.
JOE MARTINO JANUARY 3, 2013 http://www.collective-evolution.com