After the organizational chart erupted, legislation was passed in New Brunswick

In 2019, 16 people became seriously ill with severe pneumonia, and one man died. New Brunswick Health deferred any response to the Organigram-induced outbreak for months before the legislation was eventually passed.

an outburst

Initially, the Department of Health ignored Organigram’s contagious cloud. The bacteria that spread to Moncton, New Brunswick, came from a cooling tower on a new section of the licensed cannabis grower’s warehouse. The tower contains a fan and water, causing excessive levels of Legionella bacteria to grow – outside the facility.

And although OGI admitted errors a year and a half later, in December 2020, legionella tests were not yet mandatory. However, in response to international criticism in September 2021, New Brunswick Secretary of Health Dorothy Shephard announced mandatory testing would go into effect by this spring.

A correspondence and two new laws

The mandates were first announced this spring – eight days after Secretary Shephard replied to thank this author for an email. The correspondence cited a recent peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Association. (1) Separate from Legionella, the email documented a possible link between research conducted by OGI and a separate epidemic that NB Public Health was investigating for two years.

Unusual neurological disorders emerged across New Brunswick from 2019 to 2021. The cases that caused a false alarm were misdiagnosed as a single unknown disease. Although no evidence was released, the potential link sent to Secretary Shephard correlated research being pursued by OGI with a hypothetical onset of Alzheimer’s disease. And according to autopsies, most of the unusual neurological cases contained known diseases like Alzheimer’s disease.

Some cases identified in New Brunswick between 2019 and 2021 were considered simple misdiagnoses in the final report. The location of OGI, a Moncton-based producer, is highlighted in red.

Invoice 104

Separately, an additional amendment to the Public Health Act was introduced in New Brunswick on May 10 of this year. The bill under Bill 104, which covers emergencies beyond the org chart outbreak, passed a third reading on June 2, 2022.

During the pandemic, mandates had to be given to individuals rather than buildings or companies. A virtue for gym owners offering a sanctuary from mask restrictions. At the same time, companies negligently responsible for outbreaks were given a protective curtain. New revisions to the law under Bill 104 therefore intend to tear down that curtain. Now powers previously only granted under the Emergency Act can be used by the Secretary of Health in any major health emergency.

Public health officials may force certain businesses or buildings to comply with mandates — or shut down — in the event of a future unresolved outbreak. And while Covid-19 outbreaks are covered, the new revisions are generalized to all public health emergencies. Interestingly, Bill 104 can be used if, for example, Legionnaires’ disease or an unsolved neurological disease spreads further in the province.

Let us know in the comments what you think caused the neurodegenerative diseases. And don’t forget to read more about the possible link between Organigam and an outbreak of Alzheimer’s disease.

Show your work

• Tau proteins transferred by prions found in Saccharomyces cerevisiae only aggregate Alzheimer’s disease.
• The accumulation of tau in genetically predisposed individuals leads to the onset of Alzheimer’s after about six years. (3)
• Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia, also mentioned in GNB’s final report, are caused by different proteins such as beta-amyloid and alpha-synuclein.
• Yeast can be genetically engineered to produce both proteins for research into neurodegenerative diseases and cell death. (4) This induces cytotoxicity, although using this yeast model as a control in the R&D phase of cannabinoid production would be unorthodox.

Sources

1. Flach M, Leu C, Martinisi A, Skachokova Z, Frank S, Tolnay M, Stahlberg H, & Winkler DT (2022). Transseeding of Alzheimer-related tau protein by a yeast prion. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, 10.1002/alz.12581. Online Advance Release.
2. Communication with the Honorable Dorothy Shephard. March 21, 2022.
3. Guzmán-Vélez E, Diez I, Schoemaker D, et al. Amyloid-β and tau pathologies relate to extensive brain dysconnectomies in preclinical autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci US A. 2022;119(15):e2113641119. doi:10.1073/pnas.2113641119
4. Sampaio-Marques B, Felgueiras C, Silva A, et al. SNCA (α-synuclein)-induced toxicity in yeast cells is dependent on Sirtuin 2 (Sir2)-mediated mitophagy. autophagy. 2012;8(10):1494-1509. doi:10.4161/auto.21275

footnote(s)

https://legnb.ca/en/legislation/bills/60/1/104/an-act-to-amend-the-public-health-act