Cannabis and SCI: Get the Facts

In Canada, legal authorization of cannabis for medical purposes has been around since 2001. Two decades later, we now have legal access to both medical and recreational cannabis products. But what does this mean for an individual living with an SCI? Where can you turn for trusted information? Is medical cannabis right for you? Navigating the medical cannabis space can be tricky. Exploring the following page will help you take one step further in learning more about cannabis and how it may apply to your life.

Cannabis Leaf

Education is Key

The benefits of cannabis on complications of spinal cord injury continues to be explored scientifically and personally within the SCI community. To help answer some of the questions surrounding cannabis use we hosted a series of educational webinars on Cannabis and Spinal Cord Injury featuring speakers from the SCI community and health care professionals. Thanks to the Aphria Educates program for their support as we bring this important conversation to our communities

Graham Wolch of Aphria explains “Since 2001, Canadians have had the ability to legally purchase medical cannabis. Over the past decade in particular, we have seen the cannabis laws and regulations evolve, which has resulted in improved access to medical cannabis nationally and allowed for more public education about cannabis. This has led to increased awareness around how medical cannabis can be an option to help manage symptoms of many chronic conditions, such as neuropathic pain and spasticity.”

The webinar series looked at the following three topics:

  1. Introduction: Cannabis and Spinal Cord Injury
  2. Case Studies in Therapeutic Use of Cannabis
  3. Navigating the Health Care System

Some of the topics in the series included:

  • Chronic and neuropathic pain
  • Spasms
  • Mental health
  • How to speak to your doctor
“We are proud to work with Spinal Cord Injury Ontario (SCIO) to provide a forum where SCIO clients can share and discuss information and their lived experiences. Many people curious about medical cannabis as a therapeutic option aren’t sure where to turn to for reliable information or how to navigate the healthcare system – we hope that this educational series involving healthcare practitioners and those living with a spinal cord injury will support SCIO clients in getting the information they need.”

– Denise Faltischek, Chief Strategy Officer, Head of Canadian and International Medical Business

Useful Resources

The medical cannabis landscape in Canada has changed significantly over the past 20 years. If you’re interested in learning about the most up-to-date information on cannabis, the following resources may be helpful. 

  1. Health Canada: Medical Use of Cannabis
  2. Aphria: Introduction to the basics of cannabis
  3. Aphria: Understanding THC and CBD
  4. Aphria: Top 7 Myths About Medical Cannabis

To explore more topics related to medical cannabis, please visit the Aphria Medical Blog.

 

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About Tilray Medical

Tilray Medical was founded on the desire to transform lives and foster dignity through access to medical cannabis. As the world shifts to legalization, we pave our path forward with intention. Empowering the therapeutic alliance between patients and healthcare practitioners is our goal, enabling them to make informed, individualized healthcare decisions.

Tilray Medical and its portfolio of innovative medical cannabis brands strive to transform the healthcare system and be recognized as the global leader in medical [email protected]