The president of the Ontario Medical Association is urging the Ford government to educate the public about the dangers of smoking marijuana recreationally.
With recreational pot set to become legal across Canada on October 17, Dr. Nadia Alam is pointing to a recent Nanos poll that suggests many Ontario residents know very little about the impact it could have on their health. The poll said 48 per cent of Ontarians do not believe there is a difference between medical marijuana and recreational pot. It also said 53 per cent of those most likely to buy cannabis frequently likely would not tell their doctor about it.
Alam admitted that last statistic concerned her greatly because she said one in six teens, and one in 11 adults who smoke frequently will become addicted to marijuana, and the consequences on their health could be severe.
"For example, a lot of my colleagues who work in the emergency departments have noticed that as people smoke more and more weed, they're coming in with this syndrome," said Alam. "They're nauseous. They're vomiting like crazy. They have severe abdominal pain. They're losing a ton of weight because they can't keep anything down. The cure to this is to stop smoking weed."
The OMA is encouraging doctors to broach the topic with their patients so they can make informed decisions about their use.
"There are side effects from recreational cannabis that can last your entire life including difficulty remembering things, being able to learn new things, so impairing your I.Q., being able to process complex information," said Alam.
Recently, the Ford government announced it would allow recreational use anywhere it is legal to smoke cigarettes, effectively loosening rules set by the previous Liberal government. Alam is imploring people to consider the impact of second-hand marijuana smoke on others, including children and pets.
While smoking tobacco has become less and less socially acceptable, she said people have to understand smoking marijuana is even worse.
"People who smoke pot, they inhale deeply, and they hold it, unlike cigarette smoking," she said. "You have a longer time to be exposed to the carcinogens."
Alam said the association's focus after October 17 would be on harm-reduction.