Happy Wednesday. This is Postcall, where the news hits you harder than a jump scare.

Let’s get into the good stuff:

• Toronto doctor gets busted while trying to make a little money on the side 💊 

• 🍄 Psilocybin may be coming to a clinic near you

• Show me the MONEY 💰️ 

• Quick Bites 🍉

• 💡 Insight of the Day

🌴 Ever wonder how that ONE resident could afford everything?

Heisenberg would like a word: Ontario police arrest 12 people last week, including a 31-year-old Toronto physician 🤯 , in a bust of two fentanyl “super-labs”.

What happened: A joint task force of police just publicized a two-year investigation called Project Odeon. The investigation was prompted by an opioid overdose death in November 2021 in Hamilton that had links to another overdose in a Toronto condo a few days prior. During this operation, officers uncovered a drug network that was producing synthetic drugs and had the potential to supply them across Ontario. The police seized two drug labs: one operational fentanyl lab in Smithville in the Niagara region and one dismantled lab in Stouffville in the Greater Toronto Area.

Why it's interesting: The estimated street value of the seized drugs is $4 million (and that’s not even counting the other illegal items seized, including a loaded Glock firearm, ammunition and over $350,000 of proceeds, including cars, jewelry, furniture and cash). The scale of the drug operation is noteworthy not only because of the significant quantities of drugs, but the involvement of a Toronto physician in the drug network. Guess her clinical patient population started to bore her? 🤷 

What's next: The dismantling of these drug "super labs" is a step toward addressing this issue, but the broader fight against drug trafficking and addiction continues. The arrested individuals, including the Toronto physician Cindy Ly, are facing a total of 48 charges (and of course, the CPSO has been notified).

Psilo-vibin’ 😎

Guided mushroom trips are being offered for patients facing end-of-life care. And now, you can get trained on providing psychedelic-assisted therapy too.

What happened: A 5-day workshop in Hamilton, Ont. is teaching healthcare providers how to use psilocybin therapeutically. The workshop focuses on how to support the patient during the trip experience and how to process it.

Why it's interesting: Patients accessing this treatment often have a terminal illness and some benefit from as little as 2-3 sessions. But what does the scientific community say?

In one of the largest clinical trials to date led by Canadian researchers at CAMH, a single dose of 25 mg of psilocybin reduced depression scores significantly in participants with treatment-resistant depression (albeit with adverse effects). The study concludes that larger and longer trials, including comparison with existing treatments, are required to determine the efficacy and safety of psilocybin.

Bottom line: Don’t call yourself a shaman yet - Canada is still experimenting with the therapeutic potential of psilocybin. There are no approved therapeutic products containing psilocybin in Canada to date.

Details at CBC

Show me the MONEY 💰️ 

Here’s your Postcall money tip for this week: Avoid buying a car anytime soon if you can help it. What's the price of an average new car? A whopping $66,288. This marks a new milestone for Canada in terms of expenses.

• Recent data indicates that prices have surged by 21% compared to last year and a staggering 47% compared to 2019.

• Individuals now face a monthly average of nearly $800 for their car payments. For that cost, you and a partner could honeymoon in Belize every month.

• Even more astonishing is the surge in used-car prices, which have soared by nearly 110% (averaging at $39,645) compared to levels before the pandemic hit.

Why? The primary driver for this increase is the pandemic-induced slowdown in car production, combined with a strong desire from people, buoyed by stimulus funds, to cop a new ride. The silver lining for buyers is that used-car prices have somewhat stabilized (but haven’t decreased) in the last few months.

Details at the Globe and Mail

🍔 Quick Bites

1: 🚘️ Any physician in BC who is engaged as a medical consultant for a family physician, nurse practitioner, and/or a consultant specialist for patients involved in motor vehicle accidents can now bill a $275 fee for completing the Specialized Services Report in addition to billing the regular consult/visit fee (details).

2:🫀 COVID-19 has significant implications for heart health, causing long-lasting cardiovascular issues even after mild cases of the virus. Patients, including those who seem to recover initially, are at increased risk of various heart-related problems such as blood clots, irregular heartbeats, and heart attacks for up to a year after infection. Special care should be given to individuals with existing risk factors like high cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, or smoking history.

3: 🥼 Some patients admitted to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital over the long weekend were stunned to receive a notice telling them that even though they’d been admitted, there wasn’t a doctor available to care for them. Here’s why.

4: A Montana judge has sided with 16 young activists, finding that the state violated their right to a "clean and healthful environment", which the state constitution guarantees. Expect to see more "climate justice” cases, but the impact isn’t clear yet.

5: As schools reopen in Canada, experts are anticipating a resurgence of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses among children. Consider advocating for flu vaccinations and staying updated on the availability and usage of RSV vaccines and treatments, given the potential for a tridemic involving COVID-19, flu, and RSV.

6: 🛫 As the death toll from the massive Maui fire surpases 90 people, prominent Hawaiians like Jason Momoa are telling tourists to stay away. It’s a complicated issue as tourists were spotted swimming in the water just steps away from tragedy, but the Maui Economic Development Board also estimates that tourists accounts for around 80% of all income generated on the island.

7: We’re tired of talking about it, but we gotta report: Donald Trump is charged with felony racketeering and numerous conspiracy charges in a 41-count indictment in Georgia, which named a total of 19 defendants.

💡 Insight of the Day

We recently had some numerically gifted contributors to Postcall pull together some interesting numbers, based on the data from CIHI in 2021 and the recent Canada housing market data.

There are definitely certain provinces where you can hope to achieve financial freedom faster than other provinces (read: not Ontario and BC, as recent escalations in housing costs have made them MUCH more expensive than other provinces).

The Average FM Salary goes further in certain provinces*

*One caveat - since the CIHI published this data, BC has adopted the Longitudinal Family Physician payment model, which will significantly increase compensation to family medicine practitioners that maintain a panel of patients. Expect the BC data point to move upwards to around $400K.

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