I have several issues about the health unit's funding request.

One of their goals, according to the article, is to "increase response to public inquiries and increase awareness of health harms."

The acceptance of the false information that cannabis is detrimental to human health was institutionalized into society many decades ago when cannabis was erroneously designated a Schedule 1 drug by the U.S. government in the early 1970s.

Unfortunately, it takes even longer to unlearn bad information than it does to learn valid information, and even longer to change the mentality and momentum of industrialized society.

Cannabinoids have been ignored as potent medicines due to the pharmaceutical industry’s failure to successfully isolate and synthesize any beneficial individual cannabinoid compounds.

They have ignored the synergy and entourage effects of the complex of over 100 Cannabinoids and hundreds of terpenes in the cannabis plant due to the industry-wide fixation on the current 'Isolate, target, patent for profit', system of pharmaceutical research.

There is a pervasive, institutionalized, negative bias against all forms of cannabis use that has existed for almost a century and is still rampant in virtually all institutions that form the structure of our society. Those who populate those agencies are institutionalized to think ideologically and only in terms of addiction and harm reduction, crime and punishment, patent and profit.

In the case of cannabis they are completely ignoring the abundance of positive heath benefits that the various forms of Whole Plant Cannabinoid Therapy could provide a multitude of individuals, all because it conflicts with established ideological mentality, and/or, it does not fit the current ‘patent and profit’ mandate of pharmaceutical research and production, and marketing.

The second goal cited in the article was to increase awareness of health harms for youth and parenting strategies. 

My mother suffered from the terrible effects of Alzheimer’s and I fought virtually every institution in our society to get her on a legal cannabis prescription.  Finally, it appears that mom is the first patient to receive cannabis medication delivered directly to the home from a licensed producer and dispensed by onsite nursing staff.

As a result of her case, a study was launched and a partnership between a cannabis provider and CARP in Canada was initiated.

Israel, and now Canada as well, are on the forefront of cannabis research and the western Ontario region is the most advanced in using cannabis treatment for Alzheimer's, other than Israel, and it is due to my mom's case!

My next advocacy goal is to dispel the erroneous information campaign that falsely claims all people under 25 should avoid cannabis use when the factual reality is that a great deal of these individuals could benefit from properly applied medicinal cannabis.

The third goal cited in the article involved surveillance of hospital emergency room visits.

Perhaps if we had a proper system that had actually educated our medical professionals on the intricacy of the endo-cannabinoid system, they would realize that virtually all emergency room visits for cannabis issues are related to an overuse of THC with enough CBD.   

Virtually all negative psychotic reactions to THC can be cured with a simple application of black pepper as opposed to the brutal cocktail of anti-psychotics they pump into these people.

Coun. Ralph Cipolla commented: “We want to lobby the province to allow us to legislate (the ban) on sidewalks. I think it would be a win for all of us - a win for our children and our grandchildren.”

This is patently absurd.

In a study published May 31, 2016, researchers, in a long-term study, found no differences in metabolism, lung function inflammation among young cannabis users.

Other than gum disease, the marijuana smokers, unlike the cigarette smokers, didn't show any worse physical health than the non-smokers.

"We can see the physical health effects of tobacco smoking in this study, but we don't see similar effects for cannabis smoking," Madeline Meier, an assistant professor of psychology at Arizona State University and the lead author on the study, told Duke Today.

In some instances, the marijuana smokers actually showed better health outcomes than the non-smokers. Some of the marijuana smokers had better metabolic health — that is, smaller waist sizes and lower body-mass indexes — than the abstainers.

Cannabis smoke contains cannabinoids whereas tobacco smoke contains nicotine. Available scientific data, that examines the carcinogenic properties of inhaling smoke and its biological consequences, suggests reasons why tobacco smoke, but not cannabis smoke, may result in lung cancer.

How is it that we are so concerned about our children’s health being affected by the miniscule amount of contaminant from outside smoking yet they ignore the toxic fumes emanating from every tail pipe 10 feet away on the road?

When they ban all fossil fuel vehicles from the city city core, then enact a total ban on smoking. Perhaps then it will not be the epitome of hypocrisy in action as it is now.

James Tripp
Orillia
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