A recent study in Colorado published its findings, that cannabis users respond differently to anesthesia.
Makes sense, as you would have to believe regular users would have a higher tolerance to all things narcotics? This study revealed regular cannabis users may need up to twice the level of sedation and while I share Dr Joy Hawkins enthusiasm for this revelation, things work differently in Canada.
Dr Joy Hawkins is a well-respected Professor of Anesthesiology, from the University of Colorado School of Medicine and has seen this difference first hand. Now, while I agree with her to a certain extent on her findings, I don’t agree with her on the stigma or insurance issue.
She openly encourages cannabis users to have that discussion with their doctors and insurance, ahead of any scheduled operations, which is all good and well in Colorado. Colorado has been a cannabis founding state, that has been forward-thinking in this mindset and I am sure the stigma issue is much different in Colorado than Canada.
Yes, certain places in Canada are more onboard than others, like BC. I was in Vancouver for a trade show last summer and what a world of difference. They have much bigger drug issues to deal with and the West Coast mindset has always been open-minded and a lot more laid back. Ontario, on the other hand, not so much, as certain cities and municipalities have said “No” to dispensary options altogether.
Unfortunately, I happen to live in one of those Draconian neighbourhoods. How bad is it? Well, it was election time in our area and we bumped into one of my wife’s old friends at the local mall. He was running as an electoral candidate and I said I would give him a shout out on Insta and we would vote for him. Well, a few hours later my wife gets a frantic call from the candidate “Can you ask your boyfriend to take down that post?”
All it was was a picture of us and the candidate with hang loose sign. No other references but he did check out my Insta account and probably shit himself.
And that leads me to my next point, not everyone or doctors are on board, and insurance is still relatively new to the world of cannabis. They are just introducing policies and procedures on how to deal with cannabis. I have had more people reach out to me regarding this matter, as they are frustrated by a system that doesn’t seem to care or know how to deal with those who need their medicine the most.
Just proceed with caution!
Ask your doctor some probing questions to open up the dialogue, so you may understand their perspective ahead of time and not get caught in an awkward situation. Check out some online reviews about your insurance company and cannabis to see where they stand on the issue.
For the full story “Study Suggests Patients Who Use Cannabis Respond To Anesthesia Differently” click here.
Cannabis Phil
It has been amazing to see the cannabis industry grow exponentially over a couple of years, to see this kind of growth is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I first started in the industry as a writer/photographer for High! Canada Magazine, interviewing some top people in the cannabis space. Eventually, I started doing content/video work, social media coverage of various cannabis events across North America, catching the pulse of what was going on and partaking in a quite a few sessions, meeting some truly amazing people on the way. In my previous enslavement (aka "career"), I was involved in the business side of things, so I do have an invested interest in the business aspect. Coming into my somewhat “village elder years”, I hope to bridge the gap between generations, in hopes of breaking the stigma and showing others it's okay to get high, while possibly showing them how. My passion for cannabis and writing covers; strain reviews, vapes, dabs, shatter, social media coverage of events, new products, patient advocacy, innovations and the business of cannabis.
