We are in an opioid crisis. Wouldn't it be great if we had another tool to taper people to a lower opioid dose or off their opioids altogether? A group of almost 20 experts got together and drew up consensus guidelines on how to taper opioids with cannabis. We got Aaron Sihota - Pharmacist, Dr. Brennan K. Smith, PhD, and Dr. Colleen O'Connell MD from the consensus guidelines group together virtually to discuss how the guidelines were drawn up and how cannabis can help fight the opioid crisis

Has Covid-19 affected your day-to-day? “Ah, yes!” We have all been touched; this virus has influenced behaviours within all of our communities and our condolences are extended to those who have lost love ones. This episode tells a story of an individual who recovered from Covid-19, only to suffer from debilitating symptoms long after the acute nature of the illness had passed. These are people referred to as “Long-Haulers.” Brittany (Peg City Hippie) explains how cannabis assists her with the long-term effects from the SARS-COV-2 virus. This is another extended My Cannabis Story from an individual willing to share with Kirk and Trevor.

Dr. Suzy Pinnick, a family physician specializing in palliative medicine and remote northern medicine, shares her cannabis story with Kirk. In this episode, the two health professionals sit in a casual masked conversation within the warmth of the NIC’s office of a northern nursing station during a deep Covid19 Canadian winter evening. She is quick to say she has very little knowledge of cannabis, yet believes it is important to learn. When she was asked by parents to prescribe cannabis for one of her pediatric palliative care patients, Dr. Pinnick quickly recognized how little she knew. Kirk brings the story to Trevor, how this experienced doctor is willing to learn as she practices; how she learns the art of medicine while applying the formal duties of a doctor.

Therapeutic cannabis use is to cancer, as salt and pepper is to the dinner table; ubiquitous yet individualized. In the past 20 years, oncologist Paul Daeninck, MD, MSc, MSc., FRCPC has not only seen cannabis slowly infiltrate personalized cancer care treatment plans, but also how it eventually changed a country’s relationship with an illegal drug. Although we trust the chef to properly season our food, we know why people should not use salt and some people simply will not like pepper. In this episode, Kirk and Trevor sit at the table, feeding on the knowledge of Winnipeg’s Top Pot Doc learning how cannabis seasons his practise. Kirk and Trevor quickly come to understand how this unassuming man is so admired for his leadership, compassion, and research within Cancer Care Manitoba network, which is the provincially mandated cancer agency providing clinical services to both children and adults.

One of a series of episodes focusing on cannabis use in opioid harm reduction, Kirk brings a story of one man’s experience. The episode follows a discussion Kirk has with Mr. Mark Heinrich who is “a craft cannabis farmer in Manitoba, Canada and pretty much a lifelong junkie and addict.” The episode follows Heinrich’s years of problematic substance use, leads us into his experiences with Methadone and how he self-medicates with cannabis. This episode is a very personal journey presented as information on how one man uses his medicine in harm reduction. Kirk and Trevor then discuss their personal views of Mark’s story; each approaching it through their individual professional lens.  

Philippe Lucas from Tilray comes on the discuss the TOPS (Tilray Observational Patient Study).  It looked at around 2000 medical cannabis patients across Canada prospectively and gather tons of data.  Some of the most interesting findings include medicating with cannabis seems to reduce opioid use and the use of prescription medications in general.  Plus, there was no signal that the study participants wanted more and more cannabis which implies limited drug seeking and addition behaviors from medical cannabis.  Numbers, data, cannabis, a great chat with Philippe, are you as excited as Trevor about this one?  Have a listen.

Every home grower is proud of their harvest, yet many can only guess at the THC strength and Terpene profiles of their crop. In this episode, Trevor and Kirk explore how to unlock the mysteries of homegrown cannabis by having it analysed by Key Box, a business offering discreet opportunities to know our cannabis better. Certainly, medicinal and recreational growers will like knowing the strength of their THC and CBD concentrations but at the same time, they will become better farmers by understanding the strength of other cannabinoids such as CBG and CBN. In another panel discussion, Trevor and Kirk consider how a mail order business provides home growers a better understanding of their beloved plants.

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By legalizing recreational use of cannabis in 2018, Canada became the world’s largest cannabis friendly country. The Cannabis Act allows provinces to individualized their approach to legalizing the various components of this federal legislation. The Manitoba government rejected the component allowing citizens to grow four plants at home making our province the only non-homegrown jurisdiction. Jesse Lavoie is challenging the Manitoba government’s position suggesting their decisions were made using an outdated understanding of the plant’s threat to homes, children, and those who want to grow. Trevor and Kirk compare the Manitoba government’s current move to make alcohol more available to citizens while at the same time fighting Jesse’s petition to allow homegrown cannabis cultivation. In their discussions, Trevor and Kirk point out the contradictions in Premier Pallister’s approach to Harm Reduction.

Remember when we could sit next to people on a plane?  Imagine sitting next to a guy who said he was a Havard trained doc, who has pictures of himself learning to read on Carl Sagan's lap, who wrote a book on overcoming his own opioid addiction and who happens to think cannabis is a great medicine for treating many conditions.  Wouldn't that be the best plane conversation ever?  Well, buckle in, put up your tray table and return your seat to the upright and locked position.  We are about the take off with Dr. Peter Grinspoon.

Friend of the show Sue Letwin uses cannabis to treat her Lyme Disease.  She cooks with cannabis.  She teaches people to cook with cannabis.  She is really getting into cannabis education, in general.  But she had never grown her own.  She was really curious about the plant and wanted to know everything about it.  So she tried.  And along the way she found help, encouragement and mentors.  One of those mentors is Chase.  Have you ever thought about growing your own?  Come listen to Sue's journey and Chase's advice and we can all learn together.