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Big demand for medical marijuana prescriptions at Lethbridge’s 420 Clinic

Sep 5, 2017 | 1:22 PM

LETHBRIDGE – Walk into the 420 Clinic on 7 Street South in downtown Lethbridge nearly any time of day, and you’ll see a hive of activity.
                                                                                              
There is a large cross section of clientele, including seniors sitting on comfortable looking arm chairs waiting for their appointments, younger people speaking with reception about potential options, and the curious – who have stopped by to find out exactly what goes on at the clinic.
 
Operations and Development Manager, Ryan Kaye, runs another clinic and an office in Calgary, and decided to open another location in Lethbridge two months ago, because of the demand for it. He says many doctors in Canada are still uncomfortable prescribing cannabis or just don’t know enough about it.

But he believes days of the “reefer madness” stereotype are over. 
 
“Our largest patient base is 50+. CBD (Cannabidiol), the non- euphoric strain is a natural anti-inflammatory. It naturally lowers blood pressure, and can be used as an anti-seizure medication for epileptic patients. There are all kinds of things it can treat.”
 
Medical cannabis refers to the use of cannabis and its constituent cannabinoids, primarily THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol). Both can be used as medical therapy to treat or alleviate a number of symptoms.
 
THC is psychoactive and gives the ‘high’ that is felt when using cannabis. It can be used as a pain reliever or appetite stimulant.
 
CBD is connected not only to pain relief, but can also be used as an anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety and for muscle relaxing functions. Kaye says most people at their clinic have prescriptions for CBD-based products which do not produce a ‘high.’
 
For those interested in exploring their options, Kaye explains that the process for getting a legal medical marijuana prescription is lengthy and can take up to a month.
 
“We facilitate from the government to the doctor to the licensed producer. After we do an assessment, we will then recommend that yes, this seems like cannabis might be right for you. You’ll see a doctor about this. And of course the doctor will wanna see patient records, see the patient and discuss. The prescription then gets sent to a licensed producer and we go through the producers with the patient and they can choose from anyone they want.”
 
Kaye says each of the 53 licensed producers in Canada specialize in different strains and may produce different products. It’s nothing like getting a traditional prescription.
 
“It’s not like if you get a prescription for whatever drug x. You can go to the London Drugs or Walmart or Safeway and get it filled. It is not that way in the cannabis scenario.”
 
Prices per gram can range anywhere from $7 to $12 depending on the THC or CBD content. There is compassion pricing for those who make less than $30,000 per year, and Veterans Affairs may also cover some expenses for those in the military.
 
And the only way to receive any kind of medicinal cannabis product is though Canada Post. Kaye wants to make sure the general public knows that the 420 Clinic is not a dispensary. In fact, at this point, dispensaries are illegal in Canada.
 
But Kaye also thinks things will change dramatically by this time next year, and that in the future, most households will have some sort of cannabis product.
 
“They don’t have to have ibuprophen, and they don’t have to worry about their kids getting into the bottle, because cannabis can not kill you. Can not. Zero. Period. Every year there are water overdoses. People literally die from consuming too much water. Cannabis has never killed one person… it can not affect your heart rate and it can not affect your breathing.”
 
For more information on medical marijuana and legalization from the Government of Canada, go to:
 
http://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/topics/cannabis-for-medical-purposes.html