Ottawa on track to spend $200M per year on cannabis for veterans
Ottawa is reimbursing a record number of veterans for medical marijuana, with new figures showing the federal government shelled out more than $150 million in the last fiscal year — more than double the amount just three years ago.
The move followed a series of court decisions more than 20 years ago that first allowed a legal exemption for the consumption of medical marijuana from criminal prosecution. Those limits resulted in an explosion of anger from veterans and advocates who said the limits would negatively affect them, though the note to MacAulay said one in five veterans was receiving more than three grams per day.
The network’s national clinic director Dr. Paul Whitehead estimated around half of veterans participating in the organization’s programs now use some sort of cannabis product for medical reasons, though the exact type, frequency and dosage varies significantly.Experts cited a number of potential reasons for the increase, including the COVID-19 pandemic, broader awareness, less stigma around cannabis use, and the emergence of a multimillion-dollar industry around medical pot for veterans.
“We feel confident there is absolutely some benefit because veterans tell us that, and they tell us that frequently,” said Thorne. “But we don’t know the how. And I think that’s what we really need to know: how does it work? Why does it work?”
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