By Shaun Penner

Cannabis Use

AHS opening up on cannabis use with community conversation

Apr 29, 2019 | 1:04 PM

Alberta Health Services wants to open the conversation surrounding marijuana usage, and how to promote a healthy community around the new cannabis laws.

Cannabis Let’s Talk will be held on Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Grande Prairie Public Library to talk about what cannabis use looks like in Grande Prairie, as well as some shared experiences about cannabis use.

Medical Officer for Health in the North Zone for AHS Dr. Albert de Villiers notes that it is important for everyone to understand that there are health risks when it comes to using marijuana.

“Although it is legal to use it, it’s not necessarily safe or healthy to use,” said de Villiers. “Alcohol has been legal for many years, but if you use it and you drink, and you do something inappropriate then it’s probably not good for your health.”

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He adds that users need to understand that cannabis also impairs cognitive function in a similar fashion to alcohol and driving while high comes with equal or more severe punishment for getting caught behind the wheel. For example, youth who are caught driving while high under the Graduated Driver Licensing program face punishment of:

• Immediate 30-day licence suspension.
• Immediate 7-day vehicle seizure.
• Must remain in the GDL program for two years and have no suspensions in the last year to graduate from the program

Further to that, it can also have negative effects on the development of the brain in youth. de Villiers notes that the human brain doesn’t stop developing until around the age of 25.

“If you think about teens and young adults, sometimes on a good day they are not that good at making decisions,” said de Villiers. “If you’ve got your own kids, you know they sometimes struggle at that age, and I struggled myself as well at that age to make good decisions. If you add cannabis to the mix, it doesn’t make it easier.”

Some research also points to the addictiveness of cannabis. Though it doesn’t carry nicotine like tobacco products, cannabis is still seen as a gateway drug that can lead to use of other drugs that are far more addictive.

The conversation is free to attend, but registration is required by calling AHS addiction and mental health at 780-538-5162.

More information can be found online, provided on the health risks associated with cannabis use at www.drugsafe.ca.