Now that marijuana has been legalized in Canada for over two months, the Ontario Medical Association wants you to know the health risks.
A recent survey shows three-quarters of Ontario residents who responded are concerned about the impacts of cannabis on the lungs.
Dr. Nadia Alam is the president of the OMA and says for them, education is the key.
“If they’re going to use recreational cannabis, they’re going to use recreational cannabis. My job is not to judge them, my job is to help them so they make better decisions for their own safety and safety of their loved ones.”
According to the Nanos Research poll commissioned by the Ontario Medical Association, Ontarians aren’t knowledgeable about the health risks associated with recreational cannabis.
They also aimed to get an idea of how local residents are treating the drug.
“56% per cent of Ontarians who say they’re probably going to use recreational cannabis, they wouldn’t tell their doctor, it wouldn’t occur to them,” Alam explains. “It’s not necessarily because they’re trying to hide something, it’s because they don’t realize that there are actual health effects.”