Smoke ‘N Mirrors: Is Medical Marihuana All That It’s Cracked Up to Be?

Abstract

The Canadian government enacted Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR) in 2013 to control production, distribution and use of Medical Marihuana (MM). This allows seriously ill people, such as cancer patients, legal access to marihuana for medical reasons. MM use may alleviate certain side effects associated with cancer, thus improving quality of life. However, it is not without controversy. Marijuana is not a form of tobacco since it originates from the cannabis plant. But methods of use of marihuana and other forms of cannabis mean that they have similar risks to tobacco products. Since its legalization, more questions are being raised about the harms and benefits of MM for cancer patients. Under the Ontario Cancer Plan, all Regional Cancer Centres have developed smoking cessation programs which screen patients for their smoking status. Additionally most Ontario hospitals have implemented smoke free grounds policies. Many cancer centres have begun developing policies to guide the use of MM for outpatients and inpatients and some healthcare professional colleges (eg nurses, pharmacists) have developed policy statements for MM. People with cancer may use MM to help manage symptoms and side effects. There are a few methods to administer MM including smoking. However, smoking marihuana over a long period of time may increase the risk of head, neck and lung cancers. MM could be a gateway to use of additional drugs and MM has its own side effects. Healthcare practitioners may have biases regarding the use of MM. The impact of MM on cancer patients is unclear. However, with increased accessibility to MM, more healthcare practitioners are being asked about MM and cancer patients may need to weigh the harms against the benefits to decide whether it is best for them. Best practice for smoking cessation needs to be considered and MM use in oncology should have guidelines developed on its distribution and use.