On November 23, Waterloo Pharmacy welcomed community members to Let’s Talk Pot, a public lecture on recreational marijuana. The federal government has promised that marijuana will be legal by July 2018. In Ontario, the government has proposed that it will be available in 150 stores managed by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario.
As opioid overdoses continue to rise in Ontario, so too does the number of Ontarians seeking services to manage opioid withdrawal. Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is one such service: this treatment involves long-term prescribing of methadone, an opioid that replaces the drug the patient was originally dependent on. This safely controlled dose of methadone is then tapered. The goal is that the patient will eventually no longer require the treatment.
On November 10, Professor Marianna Foldvari received an award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievements in Nanoscience from Nano Ontario, an organization that represents Ontario’s nanotechnology community. She then travelled to San Diego to be appointed a Fellow of the prestigious American Association of Pharmaceutical Sciences (AAPS). These honours recognize Foldvari’s accomplishments in pharmaceutical sciences and nanomedicine research.
Since December 2016, Ontario pharmacists have been able to administer vaccines for 13 vaccine-preventable diseases in addition to influenza. Most of these are vaccinations related to travel. With flu season well underway, pharmacies are accessible locations for flu shots.