Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Cool Aid follows federal law in marijuana use

Re: “Man convicted for dispensary pot buy,” Oct. 4.

Re: “Man convicted for dispensary pot buy,” Oct. 4.

The Cool Aid Community Health Centre provides low-barrier, integrated, primary health-care services to more than 4,500 Greater Victoria residents living with severe mental-health and substance-use challenges. Many are homeless or marginally housed. Our medical professionals include doctors, nurses, counsellors, medical office assistants, pharmacists and assistants, dentists and hygienists, plus visiting psychologists and psychiatrists.

The Cool Aid primary health-care team understands that marijuana has been demonstrated to have some efficacy in mitigating a range of symptoms such as pain and nausea, but that it is also contraindicated for many people with active substance use and chronic mental illness.

For our clients who would benefit from marijuana, and do not have other medical or psychiatric contraindications, our health-care team would assist them to access marijuana appropriately and legally following Health Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes regulations.

The physicians and nurses who work at the Cool Aid Community Health Centre provide care in accordance with federal law and evidence-based medical practice, and do not write “prescriptions” for marijuana to be used at unlicensed dispensaries.

Grey Showler, RN

Manager

Cool Aid Community Health Centre