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Mental health is often considered a silent global epidemic. Many people have been suffering for years, and some have even succumbed to their mental health conditions. Unfortunately, this area of medical treatment has been unrecognized due to less awareness of mental health conditions globally. Currently, painkillers and sleeping pills, or to be precise, opioids, are the most prescribed medicines in this area of treatment. However, opioids have mild to severe side effects on patients, leading to serious discomfort or, at times, death. This is where cannabis or medical marijuana can help treat mental health conditions.
According to studies, cannabis has not caused any deaths, unlike opioids, which have reportedly killed more people than illegal drugs. Dr. Mike Hart, one of the first family physicians in London, Ontario, to start a cannabis clinic way back in 2014, also has the same opinion. Hart’s clinic is a place where patients can directly source medical marijuana from federally licensed producers and have it delivered through registered mail. However, to be prescribed cannabis by Dr. Hart, a patient requires completing a full consultation.
First, the patient seeking to use cannabis virtually or in person needs to complete a comprehensive screening form. The patient has to provide detailed documentation of their health condition, and only after complete verification of documentation and screening is a patient prescribed medical cannabis. Dr. Hart is also associated with the Medical Cannabis Resource Center, a Vancouver-based agency. Through this agency, he assists patients referred to him via Skype. The agency is known to connect patients seeking marijuana authorization to trusted doctors.
Dr. Hart has been prescribing cannabis to treat mental health conditions for quite a few years now. To date, his way of practice has never been opposed by any other family physician. Dr. Hart believes that physicians are aware of the health benefits of using cannabis and would never disagree with administering it. The problem arises in that many medical practitioners are not sure how to prescribe it.
According to the new federal regulations published in April 2014, Health Canada officials are no longer responsible for authorizing marijuana to patients. The responsibility has been shifted to doctors. Dr. Hart feels this is a great move as it has allowed him to prescribe medical cannabis to his patients as it is a more effective and safer alternative to addictive painkillers and sleeping pills. In fact, cannabis is the first pick for him to treat any patient before any other drug.
Dr. Hart has a well-rounded area of specialization because of his interest in several fields of treatment. He is more focused on cannabis-based practices and psychedelics. Dr. Hart is also passionate about nutrition, fitness, and stoic philosophy. He is an expert on using ketamine for mental health. His contribution to mental health has been featured in three well-known publications, the latest being in 2019. He also appeared on Joe Rogan’s famous podcast in 2019.
Besides his revolutionary ways of treating mental health, Dr. Hart is also a fitness enthusiast and spends considerable time running, weight lifting, and practicing mixed martial arts. He even launched a podcast named “Hart2Heart,” which focuses on conversations around cannabis and psychedelic medicine. Dr. Hart is at the forefront of the evolving trends in mental health treatment and is making every effort to bring medical cannabis into the limelight as a safer and more effective treatment.
