Cannabis is not ready to be called ‘medicine,’ yet

Cannabis is not “medicine,” and we should stop calling it medicine.

Yes, cannabis helps many. It is a legitimate industry. It has the potential to revolutionize pain management and anxiety. But it’s not medicine — not yet anyways. You can depend on medicine.

My friend’s 75-year-old mother has been taking eight extrastrength Tylenol a day for back pain — creating chaos for her stomach and bowels. He recommended cannabis, so she went to a legal dispensary. When they couldn’t be specific with what weed would do to her, she stuck with Tylenol knowing exactly what she’s getting. She said the seniors down at the legion on euchre night are having the same fear of the unknown. That is the ultimate “cannabis as medicine” focus group.

Medicine is consistent in its dose and quality, whereas anyone who has ever tried an edible brownie or gummies knows one time you may feel nothing and the next time you’re so impaired you can’t walk. Imagine taking a prescription antianxiety medication not knowing if you will be able to work or care for your children — or render you stoned in bed all day?

That lack of consistency is what’s holding back the cannabis industry as something that can help people. Were you aware that the allowable THC potency range for cannabis is up to 20 per cent? That’s like going to the liquor store and buying vodka that says 40 per cent alcohol on the label, while it may really be 60 per cent or only 20 per cent. That’s cannabis right now. There is simply no consistency worthy of giving it a medicine label.

The solution lies with how it is grown. Whether it’s cannabis or nutraceuticals, the biggest challenge is quality and consistency. Environmental influences, such as the weather, impacted by global warming and pestilence, have a significant impact on the consistency and quality of plants. This is one of the main constraints to growth opportunities in the medical cannabis market. And, as we have learned during the pandemic, our reliance on other countries for our supply chain is a fragile house of cards.

We are just one of the “ag tech” companies working to remedy this problem. In our case it’s a precision agricultural grow chamber producing repeatable and consistent results through our process. Our clients see this as security of supply, and security of cost as well. I’m sure our competitors are getting the same feedback.

So, perhaps until the solution evolves, we consider not buying into the marketing campaigns of cannabis companies and stop calling it “medicine.” There are many things in life where it’s OK to “fake it until you make it,” however, I’d suggest this is not one of those areas.

If you don’t believe me, ask the folks down at the legion on euchre night.

Jeff MacIntyre is vice-president of business development for CASi Grow, which makes agricultural grow chambers used in the cannabis industry.