Controlling cannabis » The future of marijuana in Canada Chandler Walter Humour Editor S humour@theotherpress.ca fthe many election promises Justin Trudeau made during his marathon campaign, there was one in particular that struck a chord with some Vancouverites. The legalization of marijuana was a staple in the Liberal platform, and the Liberal Party website states: “To ensure that we keep marijuana out of the hands of children, and the profits out of the hands of criminals, we will legalize, regulate, and restrict access to marijuana.” Justin Kokoszka, a third year physical geography student at Simon Fraser University, believes the promise to bea good thing for Canadians as it will increase tax revenue. From a social stand point, however, Kokoszka doesn’t think it will have much effect on Vancouverites: “I think the novelty of it might increase, and the visible use of it, but it’s pretty easy to get regardless.” This is in part due to the number of medical marijuana dispensaries around Vancouver, on the subject. Vancouver is Culture Headquarters, which and a vapour lounge in the two : upper floors, where Megan : : McRae works as a photographer : > and “Stoner Advisor.” : “I think it would be very : smart to open up lounges like : this all over the world,” McRae : said during an interview in : the second floor of Cannabis : Culture’s lounge. “Youre getting : : [workers] who are experienced} : with people that are over : : consuming. You get people who : : are excited; they green out. We : know how to deal with that.” McRae explained that : the lounge existed legally : due to the city of Vancouver’s : leniency towards marijuana, : and went on to express ? concern in Prime Minister : Justin Trudeau's promise of : legalization: “I just hope he : lives up to his promises, and | : really want to get the message : out there that any activist that : really believes in this should : get their voices heard.” : What regulation would look : : like once in place is stilltobe — ! : determined, and Mark Haden, : an Adjunct Professor at UBC’s : School of Population and Public : : Health, explained that there : are two sides to that spectrum. : He said that when looking at : how marijuana is regulated and the city’s overall philosophy : in the United States, it is : something of a mixed bag. home to Mark Emery’s Cannabis : “Some of it is more commercial, : : some is more public health features a head shop downstairs : regulation. If I had to draw that : asa continuum, public health : on one end and commercial ALL STONERS MUST HAVE 2 PIECES OF GOVERNMENT ISSUED I.D. ee ——— ——— MUST BE 27 TO PURCHASE : on the other, | would say that : the American model is more : on the commercial end.” : The difference between : the two, Haden said, has to : do with how the products : and storefronts are displayed. : He said that in the public : health model, “you get : products that are named, : graded, and categorized by Kammiant A : scientists. You don’t have : Hindu Kush or Blueberry, : what you have is strain one, : two, three, four, or five, and : then they terpene profile the : CBD (Cannabidiol) and the : THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) : concentration on the : labels.” The commercial : model has storefronts that : are geared to look funkier Illustration by Ed Appleby : and more appealing. When and if all Canadians : will see dispensaries and : lounges pop up in their cities : is still to be decided, though : Justin Kokoszka noted that : here in Vancouver, it will stay : the same. “Like I said, it’s : pretty easy to get anyways, : and I’ve seen people smoke : joints on the street already.” Revolutionary new hope for brain cancer patients » Canadian hospital treats brain tumour without invasive procedure, world’s first Aaron Guillen Staff Reoorter ecently, neuroscientists at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto have made significant progress in how brain cancer is treated. Ina ground-breaking procedure performed only weeks ago, Dr. Todd Mainprize has lead the study into delivering medication into the brain through a non-intrusive technique. Mainprize noted to CTV News that from 1940 to 2005 there wasn’t much improvement in the approach to treating brain cancer. The obstacle facing doctors around the world has been the blood-brain barrier. “The blood-brain barrier has long been an obstacle for doctors trying to treat brain diseases. The barrier is a layer of tightly packed cells that act : like plastic wrap, surrounding : each of the brain’s blood vessels, : : protecting them from infections : : and toxins,” explained CTV : : News. While this “saran wrap” : protector shields the brain : against harmful substances, : it ironically prevents the : life-saving medication much- : needed to cure diseases such : as brain cancer, Alzheimer’s : disease, and Parkinson’s : disease. For years, scientists : have been looking for a solution : to this problem because : treatments to the brain, such as : chemotherapy, have only been: : effective up to 25 per cent of the : : time, if ever. Finally, in an attempt to : break through the saran wrap, : doctors have successfully : formulated a brilliant plan. : First, a dosage of chemotherapy : is given to the patient, : determined by the situation. : Secondly, microscopic bubbles : of air, completely harmless, are injected into the bloodstream. : ultrasound beam is projected : onto a specific area that causes : the bubbles to vibrate and : break temporary holes in the : saran wrap, thus allowing the : medication to reach the brain : tissue. : With the help from : Bonny Hall, a woman who had : recently developed a cancerous > tumour in her brain, the first : treatment was successfully : performed. The team of : neuroscientists watched in : awe as the procedure went flawlessly, opening two spots : through which chemotherapy : accomplished. : “Breaching this barrier : opens up a new frontier in : treating brain disorders. We are : : associates will be studying the : extracted tumour for evidence : encouraged by the momentum : building for the use of focused Lastly, using an MRI, an intense : ultrasound to non-invasively : deliver therapies for a number : of brain disorders,” said Dr. : Neal Kassell, chairman of the : Focused Ultrasound Foundation : : passed through the blood-brain : to Global News. : barrier, something never before : : her skull surgically opened : for the majority of her tumour : to be removed. For the next Later in the day, Hall had few weeks, Mainprize and his Image via www.medtouradvisor.com : of effective chemotherapy : applied through the blood- : brain barrier. The team of : neuroscientists is hoping to successfully achieve a 100 per : cent rate when performing the : procedure to nine additional : patients. Until then, Hall will : be recovering and living every : day to the fullest. “My hope is that I can just : be anormal mom, a normal : grandma,” she said to CTV.