Conservative Leader and marijuana-is-not-a-medicine messenger Rona Ambrose returns to Vancouver

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      Marijuana-legalization advocates are going to have to get used to seeing Rona Ambrose in the news.

      That's because she'll remain interim leader of the Conservative Party of Canada until May 27, 2017, when a permanent leader will be chosen.

      Ambrose lit up the cannabis movement last year when she famously stated on CBC Radio's On The Coast show that marijuana is not a medicine.

      That comment prompted lawyer Kirk Tousaw to describe Ambrose as "utterly ignorant on the topic of medical cannabis".

      In her former role as health minister, Ambrose was also one of the loudest critics of the City of Vancouver's efforts to regulate marijuana dispensaries.

      "These stores have absolutely no regard for the rule of law and have been caught selling marijuana to kids—they represent Justin Trudeau's vision for Canadian neighbourhoods from coast to coast to coast," Ambrose declared last June.

      Today, Ambrose is back in Vancouver to deliver an address to the Vancouver Board of Trade.

      It takes place at Coast Coal Harbour Hotel (1180 West Hastings) and will be moderated by Globe and Mail columnist Gary Mason.

      Ambrose is here, ostensibly, to talk about the future of the Conservative Party of Canada. 

      My guess is that she won't have to field any serious inquiries about different extracts of marijuana plants at today's Vancouver Board of Trade bun toss.

      But if Mason has any interest in exploring this issue, here are five questions he might want to ask:

      1. Are you aware, Ms. Ambrose, that cannabidiol is not psychoactive?

      2. Have you looked into the impact that cannabidiol has had on reducing seizures in children with a rare condition called Dravet syndrome?

      3. What are your thoughts on the potential impact of cannabidiol in treating veterans and other emergency responders who might be suffering from posttraumautic stress disorder?

      4. Why do you think people with HIV, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and other serious health conditions in Vancouver should have to wait to get their medical cannabis in the mail when other pain killers are available in local pharmacies?

      5. What would you say to a little old lady with stomach problems who would rather have a cannabis-laced cookie rather than Percocet to deal with pain—and that's because Percocet and other anti-inflammatories can cause gastro-intestinal bleeding?

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