A Humboldt doctor has been ordered to pay nearly $24,000 after prescribing cannabis to nearly 1,000 patients over six weeks in 2017 while working in Saskatoon.

Dr. Mishack Zwane admitted to charges of unprofessional conduct laid by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan. The college alleged Zwane did not comply with college bylaws around the prescription of cannabis nor did he appropriately bill the province’s medical plan for his assessments of patients.

At a Jan. 24 meeting, the college’s council reprimanded Zwane, ordering him to pay a $15,000 fine for professional misconduct plus $8,726.75 to cover the cost of the hearing and investigation. HIs license to practice medicine will be suspended until he completes ethics, medical record-keeping and prescribing courses.

The college’s bylaws state it does not believe there is “sufficient” clinical or medical evidence to prescribe cannabis as a treatment.

Physicians in the province can still prescribe the drug, but only if they are the primary care provider and have completed a medical review of the patient. The physician is required to keep strict records on the amount of cannabis prescribed.

The federal legalization of cannabis for recreational use has no bearing on the bylaws.

At the time of the offences, Zwane was practicing at Natural Health Services, a downtown Saskatoon clinic specializing in medical cannabis.

The college found he had not followed rules on the prescribing of medical cannabis and that he billed the provincial health care plan for a full physical checkup for the majority of the 972 patients, even though the amount of time he spent with them was allegedly much shorter.

If Zwane does not complete the outlined courses or pay the due funds, his license will remain suspended unless the college amends the terms of their order.