Health Numerous Canadians have found it difficult or impossible to continue such therapy in the U.S. and other countries. Attempts at importing it or accessing it locally for personal medical use are usually illegal and could result in criminal charges and permanent expulsion from the country. At present, if a snowbird resides for the winter in a state where medical marijuana is legal for non-residents, he/she could presumably get a prescription from a state physician and have it filled at a legally licensed dispensary. Any transport of cannabis, no matter in what form, into another state or across the U.S./Canadian border could have dire consequences. Persons who use marijuana under the new Canadian legislation and who plan on travelling outside of the country should be aware that they may be refused entry if there is any form of the drug in their possession. Even the odour from its previous use in the vehicle could result in denial of entry. It is generally believed that admitting past medical as well as recreational use of the drug will not result in denial of entry, however, that is by no means certain at this time. Always remember that U.S. border guards have a great deal of individual authority, which can rarely be successfully challenged. One of the basic questions asked by physicians is for what medical conditions is cannabis proven to be of benefit, beyond its placebo effect. Evidence-based research is now the principle upon which treatment options are recommended but, in the case of cannabis, especially because it has been illegal in most jurisdictions, there has been a paucity of such scientific research. Accordingly, although cannabis is taken for a wide variety of medical diagnoses, there are only a few conditions for which benefit has been proven in properly controlled studies. The potential long-term side-effects are unknown because of the lack of research at this time. Nevertheless, many patients and their doctors attest to very beneficial results when cannabis is used instead of other drugs for their condition. Probably the most effective use of cannabis is for a certain type of epilepsy in children. The safe form of the drug dramatically reduces the number of seizures, after traditional drugs CSANews | WINTER 2018 | 39
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