#patricksmyth

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Canada's new medical marijuana laws

After two years of study and discussion, the federal government has finalized new rules for medical marijuana and granted a reprieve to pharmacists who opposed the rules in their draft form.

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq rolled out the regulations today for formal publication in the Canada Gazette on Wednesday.

Under the new regime, the government will no longer produce or distribute medical pot and medical marijuana users will no longer be allowed to grow the product at home.

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PHOTOS

A protester lights a joint during a 4-20 marijuana rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, April 20, 2012. (Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

'Care packages' of medical marijuana are displayed at the Harborside Health Center in Oakland, Calif. on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010. (AP / Ben Margot)

Health Canada said since the medical marijuana program was introduced in 2001, it has expanded to 30,000 people from the original 500 authorized to use the product.

"This rapid increase has had unintended consequences for public health, safety and security as a result of allowing individuals to produce marijuana in their homes," the department said in a news release.

"Under the new regulations, production will no longer take place in homes and municipal zoning laws will need to be respected, which will further enhance public safety."

Under the new regulations, the government will allow patients to buy prescribed amounts only from licensed growers who will be required to meet strict conditions.

In previous versions of the regulations, pharmacies were to distribute the product just like other medications, provoking concern from pharmacists, who expressed concerns about dispensing a product without sufficient research. They also cited security concerns.

The final version removes the pharmacists from the loop, leaving patients to rely on mail order for their medical marijuana.

"While the courts have said that there must be reasonable access to a legal source of marijuana for medical purposes, we believe that this must be done in a controlled fashion in order to protect public safety," Aglukkaq said in a statement.

"These changes will strengthen the safety of Canadian communities while making sure patients can access what they need to treat serious illnesses."

She used similar reasoning last week when she introduced new hurdles for the creation of supervised drug-injection sites in response to a court ruling.

Physicians and pharmacists alike questioned the regulatory changes, saying there is little evidence that medical marijuana is either effective or safe.

The umbrella group representing the country's colleges of physicians and surgeons said the changes won't protect people.

"We believe that the new federal medical marijuana regulations put patients and the general public at risk," Dr. Rocco Gerace, president of the Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada, said in a statement.

"Physicians should not be asked to prescribe or dispense substances or treatments for which there is little or no evidence of clinical efficacy or safety."

In December, the president of the Canadian Medical Association, Dr. Anna Reid, described the proposed marijuana rules as "akin to asking doctors to write prescriptions while blindfolded."

"Not only does prescribing drugs that haven't been clinically tested fly in the face of medical training and ethics, but marijuana's potential benefits and adverse effects have not been rigorously tested."

The Canadian Pharmacists Association responded in February to a set of draft rules.

"There is little information available on safety, effectiveness, dosage, drug interactions or long-term health risks," the association said in its letter to Health Canada.

"Pharmacists, physicians and nurse practitioners need evidence-based information to support safe and effective prescribing and dispensing of (medical marijuana)."

The association said it didn't know how many pharmacies would be willing to participate a revamped system.

"While the distribution process would be regulated, there remains the concern with pharmacists dispensing a product that does not have adequate safety and effectiveness evidence. In addition, the potential security risks to pharmacies due to robberies would need to be considered."

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/canada-s-new-medical-marijuana-rules-cut-homegrowers-pharmacists-out-1.1318929#ixzz2W8SPtQ1f

[patricklwsmyth]

Interview with Patrick Smyth from Ross' Gold on medical marijuana

Ross's Gold fired up for possible summer start 

Company has refined medical marijuana coffee shop concept

by Cathryn Atkinson

click to enlarge

Ross's Gold is taking shape. The medical marijuana-coffee shop franchise planned by Olympic gold medal-winning snowboarder Ross Rebagliati, is developing slowly and carefully, said Rebagliati's business partner.

"We came out of the gates in January really quite unplanned and were crushed by media requests," Patrick Smyth of Ocean Eclipse Venture Capital said.

"Since then, we've developed the business model and branding per se. It has changed significantly. Originally, we thought we'd be able to be a dispensary. We cannot be a dispensary."

Smyth said they would create coffee shops in Whistler, Vancouver and beyond; if all goes well, the resort's first location will open this summer.

Ross's Gold has raised start-up capital and planned a storefront with a design concept incorporating a retail area, coffee bar, vapour lounge and a medical clinic. In terms of the latter, Smyth said the goal is to eventually serve people who meet prescription qualifications for medical marijuana.

"We cannot sell or distribute it. Our goal is to have people come in who are healthy enough to make the choice and meet the prescription qualifications, we'll get their prescription and then we'll recommend where they can buy some and then buy it directly from licensed producers and it will get shipped by Canada Post in the next day or two days," he explained.

This, he said, was "perfectly legal."

One innovation is for the company to look at creating a branded strain of medical marijuana called Ross's Gold.

"(It could be different strengths,) Ross's gold, silver or bronze — like Tylenol Extra Strength," Smyth said, but added it would depend on legal constraints. To this end, they had been speaking to growers with both farming and hot-house scientific experience.

They also have a letter of intent from a hedge fund in Britain and once this arrangement is finalized they "will be able to sit down and negotiate leases."

"We've developed relationships with product suppliers, we've actually have products sitting in Whistler ready to sell, sitting on a shelf. So we've done a lot of that," Smyth said.

"We want to have our design ready because we've had a lot of expressions of interest from people who want to license and brand our stores."

He said that some doctors have expressed an interest in becoming involved.

"That's the ultimate vision. Then we hope that one day down the line the medical clinic would one day become a dispensary, but only when we're allowed to do that. I'm sure the laws will change one day," Smyth said.

The Harper government is wedded to current policy of privatizing the supply of medical marijuana, due to take place in 2014. Health Canada forecasts medical marijuana users to grow from 26,000 currently to 300,000 in the next decade, creating an industry worth $5 billion.

Smyth said they hadn't approached the Resort Municipality of Whistler or the RCMP.

"We haven't approached anyone there, we did speak to one councillor and he said it sounds like (concerns would be) a bylaw thing," Smyth said. "Looking at a Vancouver location, we did approach the Vancouver Police Department and they said it was a bylaw issue. We're putting our feelers out there, getting responses. The big thing is that we want to make sure there is understanding, that everything has to be compliant."

Ross's Gold's plans come as former Microsoft executive Jamen Shively announced his intention to create a U.S.-based and eventually international marijuana brand, using cannabis imported legally from Mexico.

His company, Diego Pellicer Inc., would be based in Seattle and targeted at social and medical marijuana users in the Washington State and Colorado, states which recently decriminalized cannabis use, in hope of expansion to other markets as they legalize, according to the BBC. Shively also plans to bring in former Mexican president Vincente Fox as a partner.

[patricklwsmyth]

Patrick Smyth - Surfing to Snowboarding to Surgery

868 days ago when I moved from Costa Rica to Whistler, I weighed in at about 215 lbs and was fighting fit.  To put my weight in scale, I am 6' 0". Surfing a couple of two hour sessions a day, five times a week minimum had put me into the best shape of my life.  On top of it, a diet of fish, fresh fruit and casado ( rice, black beans, plantains, salad, a tortilla) meant that I was heart healthy too.  

(casado)

(my house in Tamarindo)

  The first few months in Whistler saw some changes to my diet in that I wanted heavier foods such as pasta and bread, but my fitness regime was kept in check with snowboarding, and hitting the gym at Meadow Park four days a week.  In that period, I also started to box and lift some serious weights.  You see, I had dislocated my left shoulder three times in the past playing rugby and surfing, and wanted to keep it strong.

On March 26 2011, I had the worst wipeout of my snow boarding career coming down the flats on Harmony Bowl at light speed.  Someone came out of nowhere and I was forced to stop at a breakneck speed only to catch an edge and become airborne.  Not good.

(Shredding "Stoker" on Blackcomb) When I regained my senses, the pain in my left shoulder was excruciating.  All I thoughts was, ‘oh no.  another dislocation’.  I went straight to Seppos, and even though it was only 1030 am and the bar wasn’t open, the kind Australian bartender on duty had pity on me and plied me with Crown to kill the pain.

The next couple of days I took it easy, and resumed shredding later in the week, with the gym routine the following week.  A month later, the shoulder wasn't reacting like it should have and I considered going to the Doctor.  But for any of you who remember Spring 2011 in Whistler, that would have meant missing some serious May powder if I was sidelined. 

So, the day after Blackcomb closed I saw the doctor.  Two days later an MRI and news that I had done major damage to my rotator cuff and needed surgery.  While, I didn't have any power in my shoulder, it was good enough for day-to-day and surgery would have to wait because of some work/personal commitments/issues.  The biggest pain for me was not being able to go to hit the boxing bag, but I survived and ended up snowboarding most of the 2012 season.

In the early Fall of 2012, it was decided that I needed surgery.  I went to my GP on a Tuesday, additional xrays on the Wednesday and saw the surgeon specialist on the Thursday.  Three weeks later I had my operation.  Who said Canadian health care was bad needs their head examined.

After the surgery, the weight started to pile on as I was in a sling for two months and wasn't allowed any exercise that might put me at risk.  Even going for walks was painful for the first four months.  Who would have thought that?  The problem was that I was still eating like I was working out every day, and somehow I managed to put on about 30 lbs.  Seriously.

 By February I was allowed to sit on a stationary bike and start physio.  But no riding a bike on the street as any wipeout would be disastrous.  And it was the that I made some major changes in my diet by stopping consumption of the following:  sodas, cheese and fast food.  Damn near killed me.  Especially my love for soft French cheeses. 

It is now early June and I am lifting weights again, walking about 50 km a week and swimming.  While I haven't regained full strength (I am at about 40%), it sure feels good to be active and I am down to about 130 lbs.  Give me another two months and I will be back to 115!

(hauling wood near Gold Bridge, BC)

Thanks for reading!  Patrick Smyth