Author: Erin Elizabeth

Shoppers Drug Mart says it has submitted an application to be a distributor of medical marijuana.  A spokeswoman says in an email that the drug store chain has applied to Health Canada to become a licensed medical marijuana producer – but only for the purpose of distributing the drug. Tammy Smitham says Shoppers has “no intention” of producing cannabis. The application is an administrative requirement to be able to distribute the drug. However, even if Shoppers’ application is granted, the retailer won’t be permitted to dispense the drug through its stores unless the government updates the regulations. Under the current regime, patients...

A new study published in JAMA Ophthalmology has found that exposure to sunlight may reduce the risk for nearsightedness. From the article: “Researchers recruited 371 men and women with nearsightedness, or myopia, and 2,797 without. Their average age was 72. They gave them eye examinations, took blood samples and interviewed them about their health and behavior over the years, estimating exposure to ultraviolet B rays.” The team found: Those with the highest UVB exposure, especially as teenagers and young adults, had around a 30 percent lower risk for myopia than those with the lowest exposure. When a subject had...