[andyt]

Don't think they have that yet. I would think it's the cannabinol that should help this guy - that doesn't get you high. Don't know if it is commonly available yet. I'm pretty suspicious of a lot of medical marijuana claims, personally.

I think this guy is a bit of a showboat. He pushed the issue by smoking in his uniform, now they've taken it away. I think he's looking for an excuse for a human rights complaint.

[Freakinoldguy]

andyt andyt:

Don't think they have that yet. I would think it's the cannabinol that should help this guy - that doesn't get you high. Don't know if it is commonly available yet. I'm pretty suspicious of a lot of medical marijuana claims, personally.

I think this guy is a bit of a showboat. He pushed the issue by smoking in his uniform, now they've taken it away. I think he's looking for an excuse for a human rights complaint.

Exactly. And what benefits there are end up being undermined by self centered asshats like this cop who think they should be able to do what they want even if it means embarrassing their employer.

Any HRC complaint may be waylaid by his medical release, which I'm pretty sure they'll expedite since he can't perform his duties and want to show them up.

[Curtman]

A vapourizer is a better choice. It's tough to use in public, much more effective, and he's not inhaling burnt organic matter.

[Curtman]

andyt andyt:

I think this guy is a bit of a showboat. He pushed the issue by smoking in his uniform, now they've taken it away. I think he's looking for an excuse for a human rights complaint.

Maybe, he's using it for PTSD. They can't fire him for having something that the job gave him (presumably). They won't let him smoke indoors probably, is he required to wear his uniform at work? Or should he go change before he medicates? Or hide away in the back alley behind the dumpster?

andyt andyt:

Don't think they have that yet. I would think it's the cannabinol that should help this guy - that doesn't get you high.

Cannabinol is what THC turns into when it breaks down, it is psychoactive. Cannabidiol is what I think you're talking about (non-psychoactive), and it's effective at treating things like epilepsy and multiple-sclerosis. Possibly PTSD.

$1:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22979992

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an incapacitating syndrome that follows a traumatic experience. Predator exposure promotes long-lasting anxiogenic effect in rodents, an effect related to symptoms found in PTSD patients. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychotomimetic component of Cannabis sativa with anxiolytic effects. The present study investigated the anti-anxiety actions of CBD administration in a model of PTSD. Male Wistar rats exposed to a predator (cat) received, 1 h later, singled or repeated i.p. administration of vehicle or CBD. Seven days after the stress animals were submitted to the elevated plus maze. To investigate the involvement of 5HT1A receptors in CBD effects animals were pre-treated with WAY100635, a 5HT1A receptor antagonist. To explore possible neurobiological mechanisms involved in these effects, 5HT1A receptor mRNA and BDNF protein expression were measured in the hippocampus, frontal cortex, amygdaloid complex and dorsal periaqueductal gray. Repeated administration of CBD prevented long-lasting anxiogenic effects promoted by a single predator exposure. Pretreatment with WAY100635 attenuated CBD effects. Seven days after predator exposure 5HT1A mRNA expression was up regulated in the frontal cortex and hippocampus. CBD and paroxetine failed to prevent this effect. No change in BDNF expression was found. In conclusion, predator exposure promotes long-lasting up-regulation of 5HT1A receptor gene expression in the hippocampus and frontal cortex. Repeated CBD administration prevents the long-lasting anxiogenic effects observed after predator exposure probably by facilitating 5HT1A receptors neurotransmission. Our results suggest that CBD has beneficial potential for PTSD treatment and that 5HT1A receptors could be a therapeutic target in this disorder.

[andyt]

They've now taken away all his uniforms. He pushed the issue by putting out a video of him in the red serge toking up. Both sides need to give a bit here. Just let him sneak off somewhere inconspicuous to toke up while wearing his uniform. Actually, since he's on administrative duties, maybe he can do those in plain clothes.

Even if pot were legal, he wouldn't be able to just toke up in uniform. Wonder what the RCMP protocol is for smoking tobacco while on duty - that's what should be followed.

[Curtman]

It's stupid. It's a medicine that helps him to function prescribed by his doctor. Good for him, stand up to the stigma and the pigheads like PMac, and whatever bureaucrat chastised him for taking his medicine that caused him to take up the cause.

End the failed war on drugs.

[andyt]

As I said, legal pot wouldn't help him. Still can't take drugs at work if they impair your ability to function. I'd like to know what their smoking tobacco policy is - as i say follow that.

[Curtman]

andyt andyt:

As I said, legal pot wouldn't help him. Still can't take drugs at work if they impair your ability to function. I'd like to know what their smoking tobacco policy is - as i say follow that.

I don't think tobacco is a good comparison. There's no medicinal tobacco unless you're into this kind of thing... Even then, it's more spiritual medicine from what I understand.



What if he was prescribed Oxycontin, would they take his uniform away?

[PluggyRug]

Curtman Curtman:

Gunnair Gunnair:

Curtman Curtman:

What about our PM and the Finance Minister advertising for Guinness while on official taxpayer funded business?

Stephen Harper is a shill for GM - he owns a 2002 Malibu.

And 2002 Mailu's are comparable to alcohol are they?

Alcohol one of Canada’s top health threats: Study

$1:

The report, Strategies to Reduce Alcohol-Related Harms and Costs in Canada: A Comparison of Provincial Policies, was published Wednesday by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Lead author Norman Giesbrecht, a senior scientist at CAMH, said it is mind-boggling how lax harm-reduction policies are across the country.

Giesbrecht’s report, which notes 80 per cent of Canadians drink, ranks provinces on 10 key harm-reduction policies, including pricing, availability, marketing, legal drinking age and warning labels.



...
Alcohol accounted for 8 per cent of all deaths (under 70 years old) and 7 per cent of all hospital stays in 2002, and between 1996 and 2010, total consumption increased by 13 per cent.

WOOSH

[westmanguy]

The issue isn't that complicated, imo.

Should he be prescribed medical marijuana for PTSD (or some other similar mental health issue) he should be put on immediate administrative (desk) duty -- which he was. So long as he's able to perform his desk duties he should be able to toke up privately at different intervals in the day. But while doing so it should (a) not be in public, (b) not wearing/covering up any RCMP identifiers. If he was responsible he'd be throwing on a jacket or sweater over his button up RCMP desk shirt and going to a discreet outdoor area within the detachment where only fellow co-workers aware of his condition could see him (and no chance of the public walking by).

By no means anyone who needs to smoke marijuana while on the job should be on active-duty. But I view it roughly the same as alcohol. I support legalization of marijuana. And I have no issue if a constable gets high on their weekends or after work. But it shouldn't be in their uniform, and it should be done in private-- as they represent the government and are held to a higher standard.

I'd view it the same way with liquor. Soldiers or cops shouldn't be drinking alcohol in uniform. Do it off duty, and *change* first. And if you're shit-faced drunk you shouldn't be galavanting across town where minors might see you trashed. It hurts credibility and their authority. Either get high or drunk at home or go to a few towns over where you're not known.

I feel a lot of empathy for him and the pictures of the seizure of his uniforms are painful to see. Sadly, he should've known better. The Force was already accommodating him with desk duty and what not. A balanced "meet half way approach" is giving him an outlined spot outside (similar to a smoker's area) within the detachment where he can toke up in a private place where members of the public would not have any chance of seeing him. He also should be expected off-duty to not smoke in public (even if he has a medical marijuana card) and to do it at home.

That allows him to attend to his mental health needs while still upholding the integrity and image of the force.

[Public_Domain]

[Yogi]

But while the RCMP accepts that Francis’s prescription gives him the right to consume marijuana, the force takes issue with members smoking in public or in uniform.“Definitely a member that has been prescribed medicinal marijuana should not be in red serge taking his medication,” said RCMP assistant commissioner Gilles Moreau.

“It would not be advisable for that member, it would not portray the right message to the general public, it’s definitely not something we would support or condone.”

Why is it that 'the optics' , which the article-RCMP brass- are about- is being ignored in this thread?

I quite agree with 'the brass'.

[westmanguy]

And, as difficult as it may be to see him have all his shirts/uniforms seized after decades of service I too agree with the "the brass".

He should have known better than to smoke in uniform or within the general public.

[OnTheIce]

westmanguy westmanguy:

By no means anyone who needs to smoke marijuana while on the job should be on active-duty. But I view it roughly the same as alcohol. I support legalization of marijuana. And I have no issue if a constable gets high on their weekends or after work. But it shouldn't be in their uniform, and it should be done in private-- as they represent the government and are held to a higher standard.

This.

[ShepherdsDog]

So I could wash down a couple glasses of a red at school and claim it`s for heart health, according to one dumb shit?