Page 27 - MENU Magazine - March/April 2018

tential. CBD is non-sedating, has anti-in amma- tory e ects; it e ectively dampens the nervous system, and this has many possible neurological implications. Blecher says there is so much that remains undiscovered, and he looks forward to better and more robust clinical trials now that legalization in Canada is upon us.
“Because of our partnership with a working union, we’ll be emphasizing the elements of job safety, responsibility...using this medication while at work...on a signi cant scale as a bene- t,” says Blecher.
Five or six years ago, Blecher says canna- bis doctors were a minority, but there is a sea change happening. In the beginning, he says, it was cannabis advocates that happened to be doctors. In the last ve years, due in large part to the educational seminars by global leaders such as The Canadian Consortium for the
Investigation of Cannabinoids (CCIC), today there is grassroots interest and more buy-in amongst newer-generation doctors.
Blecher nishes by saying that there will
be a clear divergence happening over the next couple of years when cannabinoids as medi- cine will be separating. “Bubbly drinks, can- dies, chocolate bars...You won’t see physicians prescribing these. In medicine, we don’t want to con ate medicine with candy.” Blecher has a guarded view of recreational cannabis that is added to food products intended to look like candy.
He asserts that every e ort should be made to have cannabis products labelled safely and that recreational products should be inac- cessible to minors, including via marketing, much like tobacco and alcohol.
“At our clinic, the amount of opioids we
prescribe now is a minuscule fraction of what we prescribed even ve years ago.” Blecher says, in the beginning, he too regularly prescribed opioids, but he saw the damage that was occurring all too often. Blecher says that today, the opioids house of cards is tumbling down.
While he nishes by saying that cannabis is “not a panacea for everyone,” he eagerly awaits more studies done with medical users. Studies are just starting to emerge following medical users, and according to Blecher, these users are taking as little as possible to relieve their symptoms. “Misuse and addiction has not emerged as a problem yet,” says Blecher with guarded optimism.
While not yet legal in restaurants, private chefs are already experimenting with avours to test and produce recipes with cannabis. Veteran and top Canadian cannabis chef Cody Lindsay began cooking while in the army. He has taken these skills and used them to teach others how to cook with medicinal cannabis in nutritious ways. Chef Cody is also known as the Wellness Soldier. A cannabis activist, he provides live seminars and cooking demos across the country.
“As an advocate for cannabis in Canada I feel amazing that legalization is on its way. It’s going to take many years, and possible court battles to get it right, but legalization is coming. I fought with the medical system and VAC for years telling them that cannabis is working for me and I was met with ridicule and disrespect. Although you will still nd same ridicule and disrespect from some, the stigma around cannabis use is being lifted more and more each day” – Chef Cody Lindsay.
To read more about Chef Cody, please visit thewellnesssoldier.com.
MARCH / APRIL 2018 MENU 27