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7| The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,O ctober 18,2018 theifp.ca • Truck Accessories • Upholstery • Heavy Equipment Glass •Window Tinting 354 Guelph Street, Georgetown 905-873-1655 Wehandleall insurance work. We handle all insurance work. Furnace Air Conditioning Gaslines Boilers Water Heaters Radiant Heating 905-877-3100 proud local dealer of Canadian made products .ca To book this space call 905-873-0301 To book this space YOUR AD HERE! Fifty-six per cent of Ontarians said they would not tell their doc- tor that they are using recre- ational marijuana, and that's a problem. Marijuana won't hurt everyone, but it isn't safe for ev- eryone either. Recreational cannabis - also known as weed, pot, marijuana, MJ, etc - is not the same as med- ical cannabis. Both come from the sativa plant. But medical can- nabis is not intoxicating and is prescribed in cancer treatment, epilepsy, chronic pain and other illnesses. Recreational cannabis is a whole other ballgame. Legalization of marijuana on Oct. 17 will increase access. In- creased access means increased utilization. Overall, decriminali- zation and harm reduction poli- cies create healthier, safer com- munities. People need to know the pros and cons to make healthy decisions. Recreational cannabis chang- es the human brain. It slows down reaction time, judgement, con- centration, memory and deci- sion-making - skills used every day in school, driving, cooking and work. On average, people start using marijuana at age 17. The human brain grows and develops right up until age 25. So even though the government has made recre- ational cannabis legal at age 19, it's not safe for youth. In fact, teens who use recreational can- nabis are at increased risk for mental illnesses like anxiety or even schizophrenia. One in six teens become ad- dicted to marijuana. Quitting cold-turkey can be associated with withdrawal symptoms like anger, anxiety, difficulty sleep- ing, decreased appetite and weight loss. Smoking marijuana can hurt your lungs, increasing the risk for COPD, asthma, and lung can- cer. Second-hand smoke can be harmful, especially to children and pets. Emergency room doctors are seeing more and more patients come in with severe stomach pain, vomiting, and weight loss that gets better with a hot shower. These are symptoms of Cannabi- noid Hyperemesis Syndrome and they mimic other life-and-death emergencies. So doctors end up running tests to sort out the diag- nosis, only to realize in the end that the symptoms are caused by regular use of one or more grams of recreational marijuana per day. The cure? Quitting. And like any other sedative, recreational cannabis interacts with prescription and non-pre- scription drugs. I see it in the OR when I put people to sleep for sur- gery. There's a lot we don't know yet about recreational cannabis. But what we do know is that there are risks. People need facts so they know when they're OK and when they need medical help. That's why we need to talk. Nadia Alam is a Georgetown physician and president of the Ontario Medical Association. She can be reached at na- dia.alam@oma.org. RECREATIONAL CANNABIS USE AND THE UNKNOWNS OPINION ONE THING IS FOR SURE, SAYS DR. NADIA ALAM, 'THERE ARE RISKS' NADIA ALAM Column THE WAY WE WERE Dorothy (Watson) McLean and her brother Robert McIntyre "Mac" pose on the sidewalk in front of their home in Norval in this photo dating back to 1915. The property at 511 Guelph St. was owned by their family and housed Watson's Bakery and Watson's Groceries, both significant businesses in the history of Norval. Representative of a Gothic Revival style commercial building that has been altered, 511 Guelph St. still stands today and is a listed cultural heritage property. Submitted by of Heritage Halton Hills EHS photo