Corunna native Dr. Blake Pearson talked about the many benefits of medical pot during a presentation at the annual Central Forum speaker series at Central United Church on Feb. 5.

Pearson was one of six speakers who addressed the forum during a period of six weeks in both January and February.

The St. Christopher’s Catholic Secondary School grad said while medical cannabinoids are not the answer to all people’s prayers, when used effectively in consultation with a qualified medical practitioner, they have been proven to be highly effective when dealing with certain ailments and conditions, particularly chronic pain.

“Around 85 per cent of my patients deal with chronic pain,” he said. “It’s the number one diagnosis but I also deal with conditions like osteoarthritis, sleep disorders and chemo-induced nausea.”

The stigma surrounding medical marijuana is slowly fading away, Pearson told the Central Forum audience, as more doctors and pharmaceutical companies are recognizing the benefits of cannabinoid medicine.

“At the end of the day cannabinoid medicine is wonderful because of its multimodal effect,” he said. “It can reduce the number of medicines that people are on and that’s a good thing.”

Sarnia-Lambton received its first-ever Top7 nod in February.

After four years as one of the Intelligent Community Forum’s Top21 communities, the organization named Lambton County’s team to its prestigious Top7 list on Feb.11.

It was a crowning achievement for the Sarnia Lambton Intelligent Community team, which has worked for years to garner international recognition for Sarnia-Lambton’s record of achievement and innovation.

Read more at sarniathisweek.com.