Vaporizer legalization

I agree with Kahan and Srivastava1 that as physicians, we cannot support the smoking of cannabis, for either recreational or medical purposes. Even though a recent, large case–control study2 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, Quebec and Calgary. Vaporizers can be effective harm-reduction tools. Only one vaporizer is currently approved by Health Canada, although its hefty price tag of $600 keeps it out of the reach of many patients. The use of vaporizers 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.3 This section also provides for a prison sentence of up to six months for the possession of cannabis-related literature, in all provinces except Ontario.3

Aside from advocating that this archaic law be repealed nationwide, we should be recommending vaporizers not only to our patients who are being treated with cannabis, but also for those who we know to be using it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