© CBC Dr. Nadia Alam, president of the Ontario Medical Association, said she misspoke when she said on CBC Radio's London Morning Thursday that recreational cannabis can cause anxiety, withdrawal symptoms for people who become addicted, and lead to the use of other, more serious drugs like crack cocaine.
"When doctors spread this kind of fear about cannabis being a gateway drug to harder drugs, they're perpetuating the 'reefer madness' we're supposed to be moving away from."
Emery says the stigma exists because the government and medical community's attitude toward recreational marijuana focuses on harm. She says after legalization the stigma may change, but it will take time.
"The stigma will start to break down and that is a net benefit, but people still need to be aware there is still a lot of stigma, still a lot of discrimination."
A second opinion
Dr. Michael Verbora, who has been working in the field of cannabinoid medicine for about four years and serves on the Ontario Medical Association as a district delegate, says that Alam was presenting information that was not up to date.
© CBC Jodie Emery, long-time marijuana activist, holds up a joint while speaking before the House of Commons health committee on the government's legal pot legislation last year.
"I think she was just circulating information that she thought was to the best of her knowledge, but new information shows that it's not quite the way she presented it."
Verbora says the medical community is reluctant to engage with newer research about marijuana.
"Cannabis is so stigmatized and that's just because in the medical community, the way we talk about it, the way we educate on it, we only talk about the harms and we don't talk about the benefits."
Garry Asselstine/CBC Dr. Michael Verbora, medical director ofCare, says the medical community is resistant to incorporating newer research on marijuana into practice. For instance, Verbora says research on the endocannabinoid system has been around for over 20 years but is still not taught in medical schools. It's a system of receptors in the body that has been linked in explaining why cannabinoids help in the treatment of anxiety, depression and insomnia.
Alam says it is important to recognize when an error has been made.
"Making mistakes is human, but as soon as you make a mistake you have to correct it no matter your position. Whether you're the president of the Ontario Medical Association or a small-town doc."
"When doctors spread this kind of fear about cannabis being a gateway drug to harder drugs, they're perpetuating the 'reefer madness' we're supposed to be moving away from."
Emery says the stigma exists because the government and medical community's attitude toward recreational marijuana focuses on harm. She says after legalization the stigma may change, but it will take time.
"The stigma will start to break down and that is a net benefit, but people still need to be aware there is still a lot of stigma, still a lot of discrimination."
A second opinion
Dr. Michael Verbora, who has been working in the field of cannabinoid medicine for about four years and serves on the Ontario Medical Association as a district delegate, says that Alam was presenting information that was not up to date.
"I think she was just circulating information that she thought was to the best of her knowledge, but new information shows that it's not quite the way she presented it."
Verbora says the medical community is reluctant to engage with newer research about marijuana.
"Cannabis is so stigmatized and that's just because in the medical community, the way we talk about it, the way we educate on it, we only talk about the harms and we don't talk about the benefits."
Garry Asselstine/CBC Dr. Michael Verbora, medical director ofCare, says the medical community is resistant to incorporating newer research on marijuana into practice. For instance, Verbora says research on the endocannabinoid system has been around for over 20 years but is still not taught in medical schools. It's a system of receptors in the body that has been linked in explaining why cannabinoids help in the treatment of anxiety, depression and insomnia.
Alam says it is important to recognize when an error has been made.
"Making mistakes is human, but as soon as you make a mistake you have to correct it no matter your position. Whether you're the president of the Ontario Medical Association or a small-town doc."
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FIRE THEIR ASS no work is no work after all! 
