New medical marijuana regulations: the coming storm

I would be in agreement with the authors that as physicians, we cannot support the smoking of cannabis, for either recreational or medical purposes. Even though a recent large case control study (Zhang, et al. Int J Cancer, prepublication) showed no increase in lung cancer related to smoking cannabis, vaporization offers a clear harm reduction approach to cannabis consumption. Vaporization more efficiently extracts cannabinoids from plant material, decreases the products of combustion and can be used in institutional settings, as has been the case in hospitals in Sherbrooke and Calgary.

Vaporizers can be effective harm reduction tools; only one vaporizer is currently approved by Health Canada, although its hefty price tag ($600) keeps it out of the reach of many patients. Vaporizer use in Canada is also compromised by their illegal status. The import, export, manufacturing and sale of vaporizers in Canada contravenes section 462.2 of the Criminal Code. This section also provides for a prison sentence of up to 6 months for the possession of cannabis related literature, in all provinces but Ontario.

Aside from advocating that this archaic law be repealed nationwide, we should be recommending vaporizers not only to our patients who are being treated with cannabis but also for those who we know to be using it for recreational purposes.

Conflict of Interest:

I am a member of the Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids and the Practitioners for Medical Cannabis