An increasing number of Canadian doctors are comfortable prescribing medical marijuana, or making referrals to doctors who will prescribe it. But even once patients get the green light from a physician, that doesn't mean they can always access the relief they need.

Selling marijuana at SAQ not 'best place to sell cannabis,' says Santé Cannabis co-founder

Montreal is abuzz with the federal Liberal government's electoral promise to legalize marijuana.

So CBC Montreal's Daybreak is rolling out a week-long series it's calling Montreal 420, which will take a look at the challenges and opportunities facing the city if the federal government legalizes marijuana for recreational use.To launch the series, Daybreak spoke to Adam Greenblatt, co-founder and executive director of Santé Cannabis, Quebec's first medical marijuana clinic, and asked him what he thought about the future of marijuana in Quebec.

Here are key excerpts of that interview with Greenblatt:

Sensation seeking is a personality trait that describes a person's tendency to seek out novel and exciting experiences, and a high level of sensation seeking has been implicated as a risk factor for addiction. According to a report today at the annual meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, in Hollywood, Florida, sensation seeking is related to reward sensitivity, which is a trait that characterizes how rewarding a person finds different experiences. Further, reward sensitivity is itself related to cannabis use, and partially explains the relationship between it and sensation seeking.

After nearly a decade under Stephen Harper's thumb, the Canadian cannabis industry is finally turning over a new leaf. With Trudeau's promise of legalization in the air, medical marijuana producers anticipate they'll be able to tap into a new and profitable market. But in Quebec, production and distribution numbers are still much lower than the West Coast and Ontario.

In this VICE documentary, Simon Coutu plants weed at Quebec's only Health Canada-approved facility, visits with cannabis patients to discuss access and services, and finds out how Quebec's new medical cannabis registry could blaze the trail for international research.

The union of SAQ workers is studying whether or not they should be the ones selling marijuana when the federal government legalizes weed.

In the throne speech the Liberal government promised to legalize, regulate, and restrict marijuana.

Workers at the SAQ believe that, as a provincially-regulated monopoly, the SAQ is in a unique position to handle the sales of marijuana.

"It's a particular product, it's not like selling food or anything like that," said Marc-André McSween of the SAQ's union.

He added the union is asking the independent research group IRIS to look into whether the SAQ could handle quality control, verifying a customer's age, and other restrictions.

On Thursday, a Quebec judge called out Canada's "ridiculous" marijuana laws, noting that lawyers and others who work in the legal system are probably getting high themselves. The judge, Pierre Chevalier, then handed down a $1 fine to man who was prosecuted for owning 30 marijuana plants.

Canadian judge Pierre Chevalier has issued a very symbolic ruling in a marijuana possession case. Mario Larouche, 46, was facing possession charges for having 30 marijuana plants at home. In line with the recently elected Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his party’s promises to legalize marijuana, the Quebec judge said this:

A documentary following a man who has treated his sciatica pain by eating medical marijuana edibles aired this past Tuesday night on CBC. The man, a Montreal comedian named Mike Paterson, insists that consuming these edibles has been the only successful treatment to ease his chronic back pain.

Grass Fed

The 81-minute film, aptly titled Grass Fed, is the brainchild of Jewish-Canadian director and cinematographer Ezra Soiferman. It is produced by Muse Entertainment Enterprises.

The debate on medical marijuana has long existed since its legalization. The said debate however is about to end as the latest study in regards to medical marijuana's usage stated that it is safe for long term use.

According to Science Daily, the latest Canadian study on medical marijuana is said to be a safe option for those who are using it to treat chronic pain. The website then added that the study is the largest study that was conducted in regards to long term medical marijuana usage.

"I have to admit that I was really skeptical at first about using medical marijuana. I worried I would become just another pot head and be unable to work," says Montreal comic Mike Paterson, right, of filmmaker Ezra Soiferman's idea to put him on a cannabis-laced diet in the documentary Grass Fed. Pierre Obendrauf / Montreal Gazette

Montreal filmmaker Ezra Soiferman could have considered calling his latest documentary Mission Impossible. The task at hand was daunting: Soiferman sought to chronicle wild-man Montrealer Mike Paterson’s efforts to get in shape before his wedding.