Medicine Hat doctor sanctioned for unprofessional conduct related to cannabis prescriptions

A Medicine Hat doctor has been sanctioned by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) after being found guilty of unprofessional conduct.

Dr. Gaylord Wardell accused of failing to comply with three CPSA Standards of Practice stemming from his care of a patient in 2017: Cannabis for medical purposes, referral consultation and telemedicine (now virtual care).

However, in February, a CPSA tribunal found while he wasn't compliant with the "cannabis for medical purposes" standard, the other two accusations were unproven, and were thus dismissed.

In October, the tribunal reconvened to determine Wardell’s sanction.

A joint submission from both parties was accepted and the tribunal ordered the following:

• Wardell will receive a reprimand;
• On a quarterly basis for 12 months, Wardell’s authorizations for cannabis for medical purposes will be monitored by CPSA’s Physician Health Monitoring program; and
• Wardell is responsible for 20 per cent of the costs of the investigation and hearing.