The legalization of marijuana has been a hot button topic for years. In Canada, it has gained considerable momentum since the Federal Liberal government announced that it will introduce legislation in 2017 to legalize the drug.

To explore the complexities around this issue, Durham College (DC) professor Ruth Martin has organized a Global Class discussion on Canada’s prospective decision to legalize the medicinal and recreational use of marijuana. The event will be held on Tuesday, September 27 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. and will feature speakers in two locations brought together using the Global Class platform.

Canadian Army veteran Sergeant Fabian Henry, president and founder of Veterans Helping Veterans: Marijuana for Trauma Inc., a consultation service to help veterans register for legal supplies of marijuana from licensed producers, will participate from the Global Class in Room A150 of the Gordon Willey building at DC’s Oshawa campus, and Dr. Lester Grinspoon, associate professor emeritus of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, will join from the university’s campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

A 12-year veteran of the Canadian Forces, with six deployments, Sgt. Henry developed post-traumatic stress disorder during a second tour in Afghanistan. After suffering from depression, he was prescribed antidepressants that left him agitated and suicidal. Sgt. Henry experienced a pivotal moment in his care when he was accidently offered marijuana and found that for the first time he was able to feel and deal with his memories of combat, war and destruction, and their aftermath. Since then, he has worked with countless doctors and neuroscientists to investigate the brain to see exactly how tetrahydrochloride (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD) respond to the cannabinoid receptors in the brain.

Dr. Grinspoon was the senior psychiatrist at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center in Boston for 40 years and is the author of several books including Marijuana Reconsidered, Psychedelic Drugs Reconsidered, Marijuana: The Forbidden Medicine and Psychedelic Reflections. As a physician, Dr. Grinspoon was initially against the use of cannabis until 1967 when the drug helped his young son while he was dying from leukemia by eliminating the horrible nausea and vomiting he experienced after each round of chemotherapy. That was the tipping point for Dr. Grinspoon as he decided to research cannabis and the positive effects of the plant.

DC’s Global Class allows for an open exploration of common topics free of outside influence and geographic boundaries. Participants interact with provocative guests, meet people from varied backgrounds, share materials and learn from one another. The experience offers a better understanding of our societies and ourselves in complex “glocal” times. The classes are free and open to everyone.

The event will be livestreamed on the Global Class website and viewers can submit questions and comments via Twitter to @GlobalClassDC.