Drug can help with treatment but is also a potential cause of cancer, says expert
More research into the medicinal benefits of cannabis is required before health bodies and insurers come on board, believes Joanne Di Nardo of the Canadian Cancer Society.
Speaking at Toronto City Hall on Monday, Di Nardo addressed the municipal Board of Health. As senior manager, Public Issues for the charity, she outlined the position of the Canadian Cancer Society with regards to the upcoming legalisation of cannabis for recreational use.
“The medical officer of health made recommendations to the Toronto Board of Health,” says Di Nardo. “For us at the Cancer Society, we have two main concerns – the first is that cannabis is not co-located with alcohol or tobacco. We agreed with all the recommendations. The only thing we wanted to add was that the legal age of access be 21 rather than 19.”
Increasing the legal age for recreational cannabis use follows on from recent consultations by Health Canada where the federal tobacco control strategy proposed changing the legal age for access to tobacco to 21. This comes on the heels of a recent study by the US National Institute of Medicine that also advocated a higher age threshold.
Medical marijuana is legal in Canada and in the majority of American states, and has been shown to benefit suffers of a variety of illnesses, including cancer. Di Nardo reveals that the Canadian Cancer Society supports any person that seeks treatment in this way.
“We don’t really have a steadfast position for or against,” she says. “What we know is that there are some cancer patients that use marijuana for symptom and pain management. If patients need that then we definitely support them talking to their doctors about how to do it.”
While cannabis can be an effective medication, Di Nardo still cautions against using the drug, especially for those who choose to smoke it.
“If you smoke marijuana, there is still a cancer health risk,” she says. “Anything that is combusted is carcinogenic, so we need to be cautious about where we are enabling that to occur. So it shouldn’t be in any indoor places. The City of Toronto has already moved forward on that.”
Both the Toronto Board of Health and the Canadian Cancer Society are wary of taking a definitive stance on marijuana, which is the position the insurance industry has mostly adopted too. Bar some unique cases, cannabis is not offered as part of health plans. In explaining the disparity between the drug being legal for medical purposes, but not included in group plans, providers say that without a Drug Identification Number (DIN) their hands are largely tied. Health Canada is another body that is biding its time on this issue, which is the correct stance to take, suggests Di Nardo.
“For insurance companies it’s hard to know what should and should not be covered without a large body of evidence,” she says. “The body of evidence is not that strong yet, so one of the recommendations the medical officer made was for more research. We have a pretty good understanding of the product, but we don’t have a great understanding of all the health implications yet.”
Related stories:
Private companies opening up to providing cannabis benefits
Ramifications for life and health providers after federal pot bill
Speaking at Toronto City Hall on Monday, Di Nardo addressed the municipal Board of Health. As senior manager, Public Issues for the charity, she outlined the position of the Canadian Cancer Society with regards to the upcoming legalisation of cannabis for recreational use.
“The medical officer of health made recommendations to the Toronto Board of Health,” says Di Nardo. “For us at the Cancer Society, we have two main concerns – the first is that cannabis is not co-located with alcohol or tobacco. We agreed with all the recommendations. The only thing we wanted to add was that the legal age of access be 21 rather than 19.”
Increasing the legal age for recreational cannabis use follows on from recent consultations by Health Canada where the federal tobacco control strategy proposed changing the legal age for access to tobacco to 21. This comes on the heels of a recent study by the US National Institute of Medicine that also advocated a higher age threshold.
Medical marijuana is legal in Canada and in the majority of American states, and has been shown to benefit suffers of a variety of illnesses, including cancer. Di Nardo reveals that the Canadian Cancer Society supports any person that seeks treatment in this way.
“We don’t really have a steadfast position for or against,” she says. “What we know is that there are some cancer patients that use marijuana for symptom and pain management. If patients need that then we definitely support them talking to their doctors about how to do it.”
While cannabis can be an effective medication, Di Nardo still cautions against using the drug, especially for those who choose to smoke it.
“If you smoke marijuana, there is still a cancer health risk,” she says. “Anything that is combusted is carcinogenic, so we need to be cautious about where we are enabling that to occur. So it shouldn’t be in any indoor places. The City of Toronto has already moved forward on that.”
Both the Toronto Board of Health and the Canadian Cancer Society are wary of taking a definitive stance on marijuana, which is the position the insurance industry has mostly adopted too. Bar some unique cases, cannabis is not offered as part of health plans. In explaining the disparity between the drug being legal for medical purposes, but not included in group plans, providers say that without a Drug Identification Number (DIN) their hands are largely tied. Health Canada is another body that is biding its time on this issue, which is the correct stance to take, suggests Di Nardo.
“For insurance companies it’s hard to know what should and should not be covered without a large body of evidence,” she says. “The body of evidence is not that strong yet, so one of the recommendations the medical officer made was for more research. We have a pretty good understanding of the product, but we don’t have a great understanding of all the health implications yet.”
Related stories:
Private companies opening up to providing cannabis benefits
Ramifications for life and health providers after federal pot bill
