By Tyler Marr

Sask. counsellor speaks on cannabis health concerns ahead of legalization

Sep 29, 2018 | 9:43 AM

With cannabis legalization just 18 days away, a longtime drug and alcohol counsellor in Saskatchewan is working to dispel some common misconceptions ahead of the date.

Rand Teed, an international certified drug prevention specialist and a long-term person in recovery, spoke to the Prince Albert Addiction Awareness Committee Friday, conveying a technical understanding of the drug and its effects in an effort to help counsellors work with their own clients.

“People’s belief around this drug is that it cures everything and it is harmless. It is just not true,” he told paNOW. “It is good people have an accurate understanding about that drug because, with any drug, too much or too often can cause trouble.”

Teed said he already deals with a litany of cases for cannabis counselling and has for some time. The biggest myth, he finds, is the fact cannabis cannot be addictive, maintaining cannabis can be both physically and physiologically addictive. He said excessive cannabis use can impede on sleep cycles and appetites.

While he said the standard statement from the pro-cannabis crowd is the fact no one has ever died from using, pointed out how that was technically correct, but made note the smoke is carcinogenic, which has obvious negative long-term effects. He said admissions to emergency rooms have also recently increased for cannabis-related overdoses and spoke of a new syndrome growing in prominence called cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, which is chronic vomiting caused by regular use of highly concentrated oils like shatter and butter. Health Canada lists the condition among others on a page regarding information for health care professionals.

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“They go to the hospital because they have been throwing up for three days and still refuse to believe it has anything to do with their drug use,” he said.

He forecasted short-term spikes in cannabis-related health issues as those who have avoided the substance over its legality will dabble with the plant come Oct. 17.

“If they smoked weed and watched Cheech and Chong in the ‘60s, the stuff that is around now is a phenomenally different drug,” he said. “It will affect people much differently than they anticipate.”

Though Teed believed the government was putting adequate resources in place, said people are not aware of them. He pointed to a guide recently published by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse outlining talking points for parents and teachers to discuss the effects of cannabis in a healthy way with adolescent teens.

“Substance problems have paediatric onsets,” he said. “That is a group that we need to educate well with good non-judgemental science-based education. Scaring kids is useless.”

But his utmost concern come Oct. 17, is the belief held by some that driving under the influence of cannabis is not as serious as by alcohol.

“It is a drug that impairs your reactions time, cognitive abilities and focus. All of which are kind of handy if you are driving,” he said, noting a fear people will mix cannabis with alcohol — a move that can strengthen the effect of each substance.

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr