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The authors comment on the article "Pharmacists Should Counsel Users of Medical Cannabis, But Should They Be Dispensing it?" by P. Grootendorst and R. Ranjithan, published within the issue. Topics discussed include the conclusion of the authors of the article about the role of pharmacists, the support of the Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) to pharmacist dispensing of cannabis for medical purposes, and the increase in coverage of medical cannabis from private insurers.

Background: This study explored the perceptions of Canadian pharmacists about the barriers and facilitators of providing opioid stewardship activities in pharmacy practice, considering the subsection 56(1) class exemption under Health Canada's Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA)., Methods: Qualitative key informant telephone interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of pharmacists from across Canada. We included community or primary health care team-based pharmacists who self-identified as having experience with providing care for patients using opioids via the exemptions. All transcripts were de-identified, and thematic analysis was conducted to identify themes. Ethics approval was obtained., Results: Twenty pharmacists from community and primary health care teams, from all provinces and from urban and rural practices were interviewed. The following themes emerged: 1) optimization of opioid-related patient care, 2) jurisdictional impact and 3) awareness and education. Barriers and facilitators for opioid stewardship activities were identified., Discussion: The exemptions facilitated the pharmacists' ability to provide opioid stewardship and positively affect patient care by providing continuity of and timely access to care. Our research demonstrated that pharmacists can responsibly and independently manage opioid prescriptions within this expanded scope, demonstrating the valuable contribution pharmacists can have in opioid stewardship., Conclusion: Pharmacists were willing and able to care for patients receiving opioid medication and thereby played a role in helping address the opioid crisis. The benefits of these exemptions were demonstrated beyond situations related to the COVID-19 pandemic and warrant consideration for consistent implementation across provincial and territorial jurisdictions, thereby ensuring equitable access to care for all Canadians., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests: L. Bishop received honoraria to present the findings of this research at national events and conferences (2020, 2021); she also served as an expert witness to provide expert opinion evidence for fentanyl (2018). Z. Rosenberg-Yunger was a consultant for CPhA during the time the research was conducted. S. Dattani was a staff member at CPhA at the time the research was conducted and serves on the advisory board for EBSI (Emergent Biosolutions)., (© The Author(s) 2021.)

Competing Interests: Statement of Conflicting Interests:None of the authors have conflicts of interest to disclose.

Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests:The authors both work for the Canadian Pharmacists Association, which has an advocacy position supporting the role of pharmacists in dispensing cannabis for medical purposes.