Naturopath suspended for Skype marijuana consultations

A naturopath has been suspended from practice for providing medical consultations via Skype to helppatients obtain medical marijuanafrom potdispensaries.

The B.C. College of NaturopathicPhysicians says Dr. Jonas Laforge of Langleyis one of six naturopathswho have been investigated in connection with marijuana dispensaries.

Four of the cases didn't meet the bar for a public notification; one other is still under investigation.

According to a consent orderposted on the college's website, Laforgewas suspended last October afteradmittingthat he "assisted patients in accessing marijuana through illegal marijuanadispensaries by providing patient consultations by Skype and 'confirmation of diagnosis' letters."

The college says the 40-year-oldalso "knowingly continued to facilitate patient access to marijuana" after the college issued a notice in 2014 warning naturopathic doctors not to prescribe or recommend cannabis to patients.

Laforgehas been suspended from practice for a year. He has also been ordered to pay a fine of $25,000.

Naturopaths not allowed to prescribe pot

The news of dispensary-related investigations into naturopaths comes at a critical time for the dozens of medical marijuana storefronts that have spread throughout Vancouver in recent years.

The city has vowed to crack down on dispensaries that insist on staying open in violation of rules drawn up to issue licencesfor what would otherwise be considered illegal businesses.

So far only seven businesses have qualified; another 13 applications are under review. But dozens of existing businesses have vowed not to close their doors.

The explosion of marijuana dispensaries in Vancouver led to a series of headlines about the sudden public availability of the drug and the fact that some businesses were offering on-site Skypeconsultations with naturopaths.

The college reacted in 2014 by remindingnaturopaths that they are not authorized as"health-care practitioners"under the terms of the federal Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulation.

"As a consequence, a letter or referral form signed by a naturopathic physician to a local 'dispensary' for medicinal cannabis has no legal authority," wrote college registrar Howard Greenstein.

"If you are signing letters or referral forms recommending that patients receive medicinal cannabis from 'dispensaries' that are not authorized under the MMPR, you are required to immediately refrain from doing so."

Cash-only Botox services

According to the college's website, Laforgehas been licensed as a naturopathsince 2006.

The public notification also says hefailed to disclose a criminal conviction in the United States at the time he applied for registration as a naturopath.

According to Washington state court records, Laforge was sentenced to 70 days in jail in 2002 for possession of more than 40 grams of marijuana.

The documents say customs agentsfound approximately 20 kilograms of marijuana after a search of his vehicle: "Jonas explained to the agents that the marijuana was destined for a hotel in Portland, Oregon."

In 2007, aU.S.judge grantedLaforge's applicationto withdraw his guilty plea and vacate the conviction.

The process is available tooffenders given certain conditions, so theycan state they have not been convicted of a crime although the court file is still accessible to the public.

The consent ordersays Laforgealso administeredBotoxwithout certification from the college and provided cash-onlyBotoxservices around Vancouver andthe Lower Mainland without issuing receipts.

Laforgedid not respond to a request for comment.