Tag: marijuana

Reading of the Week: Cannabis Legalization – Clinical Implications & Major Papers

October 18, 2018 /

From the Editor

It’s legal.

After decades of debate, Canada has legalized recreational marijuana, joining an exclusive club of nations with just one other member: Uruguay.

In the coming weeks, many details will be sorted out – some small (the regulation of edibles), some not so small (driving and use). But starting this week, we clinicians work in a different world.

What are the clinical implications of legalization? Will we see more use? How will people present to our EDs and clinics? What should we ask on a history? And how do we treat cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome? (Spoiler alert: ginger stat.)

In the first selection, I highlight comments by CAMH’s Dr. Jonathan Bertram made in an interview with me. We discuss what every clinician should know about legalization.

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And then with an eye on the journals, I pick a few essential articles on cannabis, drawing from The New England Journal, JAMA, and other major publications, considering topics from the adverse effects of marijuana to the implications for pain management.

DG

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Reading of the Week: Marijuana Policy After Legalization; Also, Remembering Charles Krauthammer

June 28, 2018 /

From the Editor

Last week, the Senate voted 52 to 29 in favour of Bill C-45, clearing the last hurdle for marijuana legalization. The federal government is aiming for implementation in the fall.

So, what now?

In the first selection, the University of Toronto’s Tony P. George et al. discuss a “framework” for cannabis policy post-legalization. This Canadian Journal of Psychiatry perspective paper is prescriptive, aiming to reduce the negative effects of the legal change. They make six recommendations, including a national strategy for education.


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Also, in this week’s Reading, we consider the life and psychiatric contributions of Charles Krauthammer, who died last week at age 68. Dr. Krauthammer is best known for his political commentary, but he had a career in psychiatry before becoming a prominent essayist, and penned a classic paper on “secondary mania.”

Please note that there will be no Reading next week.

DG

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Reading of the Week: Economics & Mental Health – the New MHCC Paper; Also, Dr. Beck on Marijuana Legalization

May 4, 2017 /

From the Editor

Does investing in mental health make economic sense?

We often speak of mental health spending in terms of human terms – that people will have the opportunity to recover. But what about the economics of mental health?

Economics & mental health: worth considering?

This week, we look at a new report from the Mental Health Commission of Canada. In it, the authors consider the impact of mental illness on our society, and then look at options for spending with an eye on economic returns.

In the other selection, we consider marijuana and public health with a blog by Dr. Gail Beck, a psychiatrist affiliated with The Royal. As Ottawa moves towards legalization, she offers a cautionary note: “Most physicians hope that the federal government will approach the legalization of marijuana emphasizing public health concerns as the most important consideration in the drafting of legislation.”

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Reading of the Week: Marijuana Use and Misuse

October 29, 2015 /

In the United States, laws and attitudes toward the use of marijuana are changing. Twenty-three states now have medical marijuana laws, and marijuana use is higher in states with such laws than in other states. Four of these states have also legalized marijuana for recreational use. More Americans now favor legalization of marijuana use than in previous years. Further, fewer Americans view marijuana use as risky, although studies have shown that use or early use of marijuana is associated with increased risk for many outcomes, including cognitive decline, psychosocial impairments, vehicle crashes, emergency department visits, psychiatric symptoms, poor quality of life, use of other drugs, a cannabis-withdrawal syndrome, and addiction risk. Further, marijuana use disorders (abuse or dependence) are associated with substantial comorbidity and disability and are consequently of substantial public health concern.

So begins a new paper looking at an old question: how does drug legalization affect use and misuse?

This week’s Reading: “Prevalence of Marijuana Use Disorders in the United States Between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013” by Deborah S. Hasin et al., just published online (and ahead of print) by JAMA Psychiatry.

You can find the paper here:

http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2464591

Columbia University’s Hasin and her co-authors have picked a timely topic. Here’s a quick summary: as laws and public attitude have shifted, looking at U.S. survey data, they conclude that marijuana use has sharply increased. Continue reading