Pubdate: Mon, 23 Mar 2015
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2015 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/wEtbT4yU
Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Author: Murray Brewster
Page: A4

MEDICAL POT FOR VETS JUMPS TO $4.3 MILLION

OTTAWA - The cost of providing medical marijuana to the country's
injured soldiers under a Veterans Affairs program jumped to more than
$4.3 million this fiscal year, an increase of 10 times what was spent
last year.

And the number of ex-soldiers eligible for taxpayer-funded, prescribed
pot more than quadrupled to 601 patients, according to figures
released by the department.

The numbers represent a dramatic escalation, even from last fall, when
former veterans minister Julian Fantino was told in a briefing note
that there were 224 approved cases.

At the beginning of the last budget year, there were 116 eligible
veterans.

In 2013-14, the government spent $417,000 on medical marijuana for
soldiers, said the briefing obtained under access to information
legislation.

The jaw-dropping increases may represent a conundrum for Health
Canada, which routinely warns against marijuana use, and the ruling
Conservatives who have ridiculed Liberal leader Justin Trudeau's
campaign for overall legalization of marijuana.

In a statement, a Veterans Affairs spokeswoman stood by the program,
pointing to government documents explaining that even though the
government does not want to see marijuana used as medicine, the courts
have ordered patients to have access to it if prescribed.

"Marijuana for medical purposes is not an approved drug or medicine in
Canada, and Health Canada does not endorse or promote the use of
marijuana," said Janice Summerby in an email. "However, [Veterans
Affairs] will support eligible veterans by reimbursing the cost of
marijuana for medical purposes if their physician deems it is an
appropriate treatment for the veteran's health condition and
authorizes its use in accordance with Health Canada's
regulations."

Throughout much of last year, there was a growing debate within the
Veterans department about how much would be covered by the program,
introduced in 2008, and whether it should be capped or even cancelled
outright.

Mr. Fantino, who has since been replaced by Erin O'Toole as minister,
was presented with four different options, including dropping the
policy, but retaining existing clients; or eliminating it altogether.

In a pamphlet sent to constituents last year, Mr. Fantino claimed Mr.
Trudeau wants to "make buying marijuana a normal, everyday activity
for young Canadians" and even charged that the Liberal leader wants to
allow the sale of pot in corner stores.

At the same time, Health Canada - which oversees the country's
burgeoning medical marijuana industry - is running ads saying: "The
science is clear. Marijuana use equals health risks."

Clayton Goodwin, a former reservist who was injured in the Far North
in 2004, said the mixed messages make it hard to get pot prescribed by
a doctor, even though medical marijuana has been legal since 2001.

"The personal stigma and shaming of an individual's choice of medicine 
is something that needs to be addressed," said Mr. Goodwin, who noted 
that a group run by an ex-combat engineer in New Brunswick - Veterans 
Helping Veterans: Marijuana for Trauma Inc. - is helping pair veterans 
with doctors who will prescribe marijuana.

He said many veterans with chronic pain, anxiety and post-traumatic
stress are choosing medicinal pot over pharmaceuticals for safety and
to get away from some of the side effects of prescription drugs.

The debate at Veteran Affairs started in earnest last spring after
Health Canada introduced regulatory changes that limited its role to
overseeing the rules and licensing of private producers.

"There are no longer any health criteria to be met and fewer controls
over who can prescribe," said the Oct. 20, 2014, briefing note to Mr.
Fantino. "New regulations do not speak to quantity limits or pricing
of marijuana."

Before the change, Health Canada provided eligible veterans with
marijuana at a fixed price of $5 per gram, but private growers can now
charge what the market will stand.
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MAP posted-by: Matt