Rielle capler biography
Rielle Capler
Cannabis in medicine: a national educational needs assessment among Canadian physicians
BMC Medical Education, 2015
Background: There is increasing global awareness and interest in the use of cannabis for therapeu... more Background: There is increasing global awareness and interest in the use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes (CTP). It is clear that health care professionals need to be involved in these decisions, but often lack the education needed to engage in informed discussions with patients. This study was conducted to determine the educational needs of Canadian physicians regarding CTP. Methods: A national needs assessment survey was developed based on previous survey tools. The survey was approved by the Research Ethics Board of the McGill University Health Centre Research Institute and was provided online using LimeSurvey®. Several national physician organizations and medical education organizations informed their members of the survey. The target audience was Canadian physicians. We sought to identify and rank using 5-point Likert scales the most common factors involved in decision making about using CTP in the following categories: knowledge, experience, attitudes, and barriers. Preferred educational approaches and physician demographics were collected. Gap analysis was conducted to determine the magnitude and importance of differences between perceived and desired knowledge on all decision factors. Results: Four hundred and twenty six responses were received, and physician responses were distributed across Canada consistent with national physician distribution. The most desired knowledge concerned "potential risks of using CTP" and "safety, warning signs and precautions for patients using CTP". The largest gap between perceived current and desired knowledge levels was "dosing" and "the development of treatment plans". Conclusions: We have identified several key educational needs among Ca
Lift & Co. panel debates how to treat cannabis-sector trailblazers
Two days after longtime Vancouver cannabis trailblazer Cannabis Culture announced that it would close its three Vancouver dispensaries and lay off 50 employees, the debate over how to best integrate marijuana-sector pioneers into the fast-growing cannabis industry found its way onto a panel at the Lift and Co. business conference in Vancouver January 10.
The stores set to close are at 1674 Davie Street, 3421 E. Hastings Street and 3175 W. Broadway, and Cannabis Culture principal Jodie Emery conducted several media interviews January 9 to stress her concern that the City of Vancouver was being "heavy handed" by demanding that the stores close and that Cannabis Culture embark on the provincial licensing process.
Her company wanted Vancouver to do what Gibsons town council on January 8 did for the S&M Medicinal Sweet Shoppe – issue a temporary permit that would allow the business to operate despite not being licensed by the provincial government.
"In what universe is Vancouver, categorically the most liberal and lenient jurisdiction in the most lenient province of the most liberal country on Earth in history, using HEAVY HANDED TACTICS?" tweeted Tantalus Labs CEO Dan Sutton, with the capital letters in his tweet.
(Tantalus Labs CEO Dan Sutton believes new entrants to the cannabis sector have a lot to learn | Glen Korstrom)
Given the tweet, and the fact that Sutton was on the business conference's panel, it was to be expected a clash of views would be had. Emery, however, was not on the panel.
The other panellists included:
•Hilary Black, who was a cannabis activist for decades and founded the B.C. Compassion Club Society in 1997. She now is director of patient education and advocacy at Canada's largest cannabis producer, Canopy Growth Corp. (TSX:WEED; NYSE:CGC);
(Canopy Growth Corp.'s director of patient education and advocacy likes that her company Dr. Rielle Capler has over 20 years’ experience in the cannabis field, engaging in research, knowledge translation, service provision, organizational development, and community organizing. She has consulted and advised on cannabis policy nationally and internationally. Rielle has worked extensively with both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. As part of her work in both community and industry organizing, Rielle has co-founded several organizations including the Canadian Association of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries which she helped to transition to address the new legalized context for cannabis into the Association of Canadian Cannabis Retailers. Rielle received the Governor General of Canada’s Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal acknowledging her contribution to Canadian society through her work with medical cannabis, including her foundational work with the first medical cannabis dispensary in Canada. Rielle’s research and advocacy focus is on the instrumental uses of plant medicine, equitable access to medicine, and harm reduction. In particular, her focus has been on understanding the uses of illegal and stigmatized plant medicines and helping transition them to a legal context through research and advocacy. Rielle has published widely on her research related to access to cannabis for medical purposes. She has also engaged in and published research on the use of ayahuasca for stress and addictions in a First Nations community in Canada. Dr. Capler is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the British Columbia Center on Substance Use at the University of British Columbia. .Dr. Rielle Capler, MHA, PhD