The Dryden Regional Health Centre isn’t anticipating any major disruptions with the legalization of marijuana on Wednesday.
Chief Executive Officer Wade Petranik says they don’t expect any negative impacts related to emergency room visits.
Petranik says determining the direct impact on recreational pot and how it relates to the health care system isn’t easy and takes time.
He says it’s another drug that is readily available that could impact society and people’s individual health, however, he believes it will be difficult to gauge how it effects day-to-day operations at the hospital.
A report from Colorado found that when the U.S. state legalized recreational cannabis in 2014, it saw a 23% increase in pot-related emergency room visits.
Most patients were diagnosed with mental illness, some with uncontrollable vomiting or injuries.
Petranik says even if they see similar stats, it wouldn’t have an appreciable impact on the volume of ER visits.
The Canadian Medical Association is urging the government to closely monitor issues in Canadian hospitals.
