Pubdate: Sat, 12 Jul 2014
Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB)
Copyright: 2014 The Edmonton Journal
Contact: 
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/letters/letters-to-the-editor.html
Website: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134
Author: Jordan Press
Page: A14

GOVERNMENT MAY LIMIT MEDICAL MARIJUANA FOR VETS

Veterans Affairs Canada is considering capping its medical marijuana 
program, limiting how many grams of pot former military personnel can 
receive, and how much the government will pay.

Veterans Affairs wants to ensure costs for the burgeoning program 
don't spiral out of control. The cap, proposed last month, is also 
aimed at addressing medical concerns over the efficacy and safety of 
using marijuana for medicinal reasons.

Federally, Veterans Affairs Canada is the only publicly funded payer 
for medical marijuana. Veterans who have a doctor's note for 
marijuana can receive regular benefits from the government to cover 
all, or most, of the costs.

Between 2011 and 2013, the number of veterans in the program, as well 
as its cost, have increased about fourfold, according to an internal 
briefing note obtained by Postmedia News. In 2013, 121 veterans 
received assistance for medical pot, at a cost of $353,000 to the department.

Even more veterans use marijuana outside any formal pot program to 
treat physical pain and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder 
(PTSD), said Mike Blais, founder of Canadian Veterans Advocacy. 
"They're using marijuana rather than anti-psychotic drugs to find 
that peace," he said.

More veterans want to be in the program and are asking for daily 
doses beyond what the department feels is safe. Without the cap, 
"uptake is expected to increase significantly," reads the June note 
to Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino.

By putting limits on the program, the department believes it can 
strike the right balance and also give doctors some guidelines, as 
their regulatory bodies are skeptical about having their members 
prescribe marijuana.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom