Reefer MEDness

Dr. Suzy Pinnick, a family physician specializing in palliative medicine and remote northern medicine, shares her cannabis story with Kirk. In this episode, the two health professionals sit in a casual masked conversation within the warmth of the NIC’s office of a northern nursing station during a deep Covid19 Canadian winter evening. She is quick to say she has very little knowledge of cannabis,...

Therapeutic cannabis use is to cancer, as salt and pepper is to the dinner table; ubiquitous yet individualized. In the past 20 years, oncologist Paul Daeninck, MD, MSc, MSc., FRCPC has not only seen cannabis slowly infiltrate personalized cancer care treatment plans, but also how it eventually changed a country’s relationship with an illegal drug. Although we trust the chef to properly season our...

One of a series of episodes focusing on cannabis use in opioid harm reduction, Kirk brings a story of one man’s experience. The episode follows a discussion Kirk has with Mr. Mark Heinrich who is “a craft cannabis farmer in Manitoba, Canada and pretty much a lifelong junkie and addict.” The episode follows Heinrich’s years of problematic substance use, leads us into his experiences with Methadone...

Philippe Lucas from Tilray comes on the discuss the TOPS study.  It looked at around 2000 medical cannabis patients across Canada prospectively and gather tons of data.  Some of the most interesting findings include medicating with cannabis seems to reduce opioid use and the use of prescription medications in general.  Plus, there was no signal that the study participants wanted more and more cann...

Every home grower is proud of their harvest, yet many can only guess at the THC strength and Terpene profiles of their crop. In this episode, Trevor and Kirk explore how to unlock the mysteries of homegrown cannabis by having it analysed by Key Box, a business offering discreet opportunities to know our cannabis better. Certainly, medicinal and recreational growers will like knowing the strength o...

By legalizing recreational use of cannabis in 2018, Canada became the world’s largest cannabis friendly country. The Cannabis Act allows provinces to individualized their approach to legalizing the various components of this federal legislation. The Manitoba government rejected the component allowing citizens to grow four plants at home making our province the only non-homegrown jurisdiction. Jess...

Remember when we could sit next to people on a plane?  Imagine sitting next to a guy who said he was a Havard trained doc, who has pictures of himself learning to read on Carl Sagan's lap, who wrote a book on overcoming his own opioid addiction and who happens to think cannabis is a great medicine for treating many conditions.  Wouldn't that be the best plane conversation ever?  Well, buckle in, p...

Friend of the show Sue Letwin uses cannabis to treat her Lyme Disease.  She cooks with cannabis.  She teaches people to cook with cannabis.  She is really getting into cannabis education, in general.  But she had never grown her own.  She was really curious about the plant and wanted to know everything about it.  So she tried.  And along the way she found help, encouragement and mentors.  One of t...

Vaporize Cannabis.  Get behind the wheel of a car.  Pull out onto the highway.  This is not the beginning of an accident report.  This is a study Dr. Tom Arkell and team ran on an actual highway in the Netherlands.  Dr. Arkell is from Australia, his research is partially supported by the Lambert Iniative and the driving was done near Maastricht University.  The study looked at CBD vs THC vs a comb...

Is it the future? Kirk and Trevor delve into the craft cannabis market, again. In this episode, they gather a unique panel of Cannabis enthusiasts, willing to share their views on growing small batches of their best. A British Columbia computer geek turned owner, an Alberta legacy grower gone legit, and a Manitoba seed archivist waiting on a license for his genetics, each speak to what makes their...

One of the reason Reefer MEDness started was becasuse Trevor couldn't understand why medicinal cannabis wasn't in pharmacies.  Well, all the barriers aren't down yet but meet Rahim Dhalla.  We've talked to Rahim before, but this time we dive into the workings of his pharmacy, Hybrid Pharm.  Hybrid Pharm is a regular pharmacy where you can pick up your diabetes meds, get your flu shot and lately th...

This is our Christmas Day episode.  Although it has nothing to do with trees, reindeer, Kris Kringle, elves or baby Jesus, it is as much fun to open as a present on Christmas morning!  The guys from the High On Home Grown podcast were a delight to talk you.  We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed making it. Music by: Bob Marley - Three Little Birds -  https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Although universal health care is considered a Canadian right, ensuring your unique needs are fully met can be a challenge. Kirk and Trevor meet Susan Hagar, from Nurse on Board, your healthcare navigation partner. Working for you and your family, a Nurse “will take the stress out of dealing with medical challenges and will design a plan tailored to your specific needs.” Acting as your personal he...

Many family docs spend part of their time looking after patients in long term care homes.  Two of the most common conditions in long term care are chronic pain and dementia.  We don't have great options in the standard pharmaceutical tool box to treat either of these conditions.  What if I told you a family doc in Sarnia, Ontario is having so much success treating both chronic pain and dementia sy...

Dr. Mohan Cooray is a specialist in internal medicine, gastroenterology, hepatology, and advanced endoscopy. After graduating from the University of Toronto’s Life Sciences program with the highest distinction, he was accepted into the prestigious Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University and was recognized for his achievements with the Outstanding Gastroenterology Resident Awa...

Is cannabis something to fear when it comes to prenatal health? The easy answer is yes, when we consider the universally acceptable care plan of all pregnancies are best lived following a healthy diet, doing appropriate exercise, and consuming no unnecessary drugs or medications. With cannabis becoming more widely used as a medicine and consumed recreationally by a growing population, it is import...

How do we define “Craft Cannabis” in Canada? Greencraft Cannabis, a local Manitoba grow operation, is out to answer this question. Eric Greening discusses the process of obtaining his Health Canada micro cultivation licence and how his new company will grow smaller batches putting the plant first. Not only has Health Canada created opportunity for smaller craft growers to finally legally enter the...

If there's something strange in your neighbourhood, who you gonna call? If you’re living in a rural community, are over 65 and wonder if cannabis might be a good option for your arthritic knee, but your doctor says she doesn't know anything about it, instead of Ghostbusters, why not call HelloMD? Better yet, listen to Trevor and Kirk talk to Larry Lisser of HelloMD about medical cannabis in genera...

What were you doing during the start of the pandemic lock down?  Did you build a puzzle for the first time in year?  Did you get reacquainted with how stupid and long and frustrating monopoly is?  How about sour dough bread?  Did you make your first sour dough?  Dr. Igor Kovalchuk and his wife, Dr. Olga Kovalchuk from the University of Lethbridge were locked out of their labs too.  Their lock down...

Let us start by saying, we encourage pregnant women toward balanced diets, proper exercise, and we discourage unnecessary drug and alcohol use.  But, what if a mother consumes cannabis during pregnancy? In this episode Kirk and Trevor begin to explore prenatal cannabis exposure and are joined by Dr. Ciara Torres, Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Columbia University. ...

We are looking back on the Summer of 2019.  One of Kirk and Trevor's highlites was going to HempFest in Saskatoon.  We talked to Jodi McDonald of Keystone Labs.  Jodi's company will sell you a "Key Box" to allow you to get lab quality analysis of your home grown cannabis.  And Jodi is infectiously  animated when she explain HPLC and mass spec.  Robert Belanger is a potter whose ceramic pipes are s...

Listen as Trevor and Kirk walk through the displays at Hempfest Canada Saskatoon's expo. We hear from a Lawyer, Insurance Broker, Master Grower, and a Horticulturist. Can you refuse a roadside alcohol test? Are you are likely to fail a road-side sobriety test while sober? Should you consider home insurance for your homegrown? A Master Grower and Horticulturist speak to growing different cultivars;...

Kirk and Trevor are live on stage at HempFest Saskatoon for a second time!  This time Trevor talks with Sue Letwin(@LetwinSue).  Sue has Lyme Disease.  She explains how this misunderstood condition effects her life and how cannabis is helping her.  In fact she finds the THC helps her more than CBD.  And she make her own edibles.  Come learn from Sue with us! Music: The Sheepdogs https://thesheepdo...

Kirk and Trevor were live on stage at HempFest Canada in Saskatoon June 2019 with Jacqui Childs (@JacquiChilds).  Jacqui talks about her journey with Cannabis helping her with Crohn's, anxiety and depression.  Now that Cannabis has helped her, Jacqui wants to help others.  This savy social media marketer and author tells Kirk how she gets her message about cannabis out to the world. Music: Burton...

The fact marijuana heightens the musical experience is no secret. We know both listeners and players have enhanced their musical experiences through the use of this plant for over 100 years. This episode links cannabis to music through the stories told by acclaimed musicologist John Einarson. We follow a path of early jazz players influencing Canadian singer-song-writer Ian Tyson, who in turn infl...