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.

Vaporize Cannabis.  Get behind the wheel of a car.  Pull out onto the highway.  This is not the beginning of an accident report.  This is a study Dr. Tom Arkell and team ran on an actual highway in the Netherlands.  Dr. Arkell is from Australia, his research is partially supported by the Lambert Iniative and the driving was done near Maastricht University.  The study looked at CBD vs THC vs a combo of THC/CBD vs placebo.  You definitely want to listen to this multinational study if just to hear what "placebo cannabis" is.  Driving and cannabis and Kirk and Trevor!  What more do you need? 

Is it the future? Kirk and Trevor delve into the craft cannabis market, again. In this episode, they gather a unique panel of Cannabis enthusiasts, willing to share their views on growing small batches of their best. A British Columbia computer geek turned owner, an Alberta legacy grower gone legit, and a Manitoba seed archivist waiting on a license for his genetics, each speak to what makes their cannabis strains and techniques important to creating a craft cannabis market place. The panel agrees the best fertilizer is the shadow of the gardener and any licenced producer can grow good weed. But, what is their collective agreement, what is the definitive determination of craft cannabis? It may depend on how they treat their flowers at harvest, or possibly the hang-to-dry or lay-to-dry technique. How long do they leave their flower to cure? What if the flower is traveling in plastic to market? Defining craft cannabis may actually mean buying straight from the farmer but, this is not possible yet. Have a listen to how these growers define craft while creating niche markets for their small businesses.

One of the reason Reefer MEDness started was becasuse Trevor couldn't understand why medicinal cannabis wasn't in pharmacies.  Well, all the barriers aren't down yet but meet Rahim Dhalla.  We've talked to Rahim before, but this time we dive into the workings of his pharmacy, Hybrid Pharm.  Hybrid Pharm is a regular pharmacy where you can pick up your diabetes meds, get your flu shot and lately they are even doing COVID-19 testing.  But Hybrid Pharm is special for many reasons.  Not the least of which is, if all the paperwork is in place, you can walk into Hybrid Pharm and pick up your medicinal cannabis.  Welcome to the future, as Kirk and Trevor talk with Rahim about how this all works.