Information for Healthcare Practitioners – Medical Use of Cannabis

If you are a licensed health care practitioner and you want to know more about the use of cannabis for medical purposes (for example, pharmacology, potential therapeutic uses, contraindications, adverse reactions etc.) the following resources will provide you with scientific and medical information to help you in discussions with your patients.

Health Canada Resources

• Health Canada –  Consumer Information: A summary of essential information about the use of cannabis for medical purposes
• Health Canada – Information for Health Care Professionals: A comprehensive monograph on the pharmacology, potential therapeutic uses, and risks of using cannabis for medical purposes
• Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations – Daily Amount Fact Sheet (Dosage) – Government of Canada
• Cannabis as a third-line treatment in Neuropathic Pain: Canadian Pain Society (CPS)

Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA)

• Clearing the Haze: How the legalization of recreational marijuana may affect your medical practice
• Medical marijuana: Considerations for Canadian doctors
• Medical-Legal Handbook: This handbook provides insight into basic legal concepts and underlying principles that govern physicians in their practices

Canadian Pharmacists Association

• Cannabis for Medical Purposes: How to start the conversation
• Cannabis For Medical Purposes Evidence Guide
• Medical Cannabis Q&A

The College of Family Physicians of Canada

• Authorizing Dried Cannabis for Chronic Pain or Anxiety: Preliminary Guidance (2014)