The sale of recreational cannabis in Canada will become legal as of next summer, it has been approved for medicinal use since 2001.
Despite being prescribed for medicinal purposes for over 16 years, experts say there is still very little credible evidence on how effective a treatment it really is.
Nevertheless, usage is “skyrocketing” in Canada despite any real proof, says James MacKillop, professor of psychiatry and neurosciences at McMaster University Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.
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McMaster hopes to provide those answers through rigorous medical analysis by setting up a research centre dedicated to examining the pros and cons of such decisions.
Sadly, this type of research wasn’t done prior to the current opioid epidemic in Canada.
Big Pharma and doctors claimed these drugs were safe when they have proven to be anything but, due to lack of information and overprescribing.
Some experts say this mistrust has led to the cannabis movement, which has been unattractive to big business, until now.
However, with legalization introducing the drug into the mainstream for sale, the unavoidable question is: why proper research now and not before introducing legalization?
Comparing opioids to cannabis is like comparing apples to oranges, but it makes you wonder if any lessons have been learned from the opioid crisis.
Scott Thompson is host of The Scott Thompson Show! and a commentator for Global News
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