Pubdate: Sat, 03 Oct 2015
Source: Intelligencer, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015, The Belleville Intelligencer
Contact: http://www.intelligencer.ca/letters
Website: http://www.intelligencer.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2332
Author: Tim Miller
Page: 2

MARIJUANA A LIFE CHANGER

"A life changer."

That's how retired veteran Rob Kennedy explains the impact switching 
from pharmaceuticals to medical marijuana had on his life.

Kennedy served in Royal Canadian Armoured Corps for 28 years with the 
last eight years of those stationed in Trenton.

In July of this year he retired for medical reasons due to both 
chronic pain and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of 
his time in service.

"I have a lot of injuries from my service, a broken hip, a herniated 
disc in my back and a lot of severe arthritis," he explained.

He was initially treating his chronic pain with over the counter 
medication in ever-increasing strength until he was looking at having 
to move to Oxycontin - a move he simply wasn't comfortable in making.

"I had a lot of friends, veterans with the same injuries I had, that 
were using medical marijuana successfully. Not going through the 
walking around like a zombie or being hooked on pills and destroying 
your liver and your kidneys anymore."

It was at this point he first became involved with the company 
Marijuana For Trauma Inc. (MTF)

"I found it a life changer, a game changer. Six months ago I was in 
my house, in chronic pain, my head space wasn't right," he said, 
going on to add the move to medical marijuana has given him a quality 
of life he wouldn't otherwise have had. "I'm starting to ride a 
mountain bike; I'm out in public more. I still deal with my PTSD and 
my crowd issues but it gave me a quality of life to get out and I'm 
enjoying stuff.

"Six months ago you wouldn't see me in a room with six other people. 
It's given me that freedom and quality of life."

Kennedy is now taking that experience and paying it forward with 
Friday's grand opening of an MTF office in Quinte West.

"I volunteered my time to do this. I'm not a paid employee, none of us are."

MTF primarily acts as an advocate and an organizer, helping veterans, 
first responders and civilians alike to access medical marijuana.

Kennedy says the process is "very easy." If someone has a signed 
diagnosis from a doctor that can be treated with cannabis they 
provide that, fill out a questionnaire, do an interview with an MTF 
doctor over Skype and, after that, they are then put in contact with 
a licensed producer.

"Within two weeks after, you can have a product at your door and you 
can start medicating with it."

MTF itself doesn't distribute or hold any marijuana out of the office 
and instead acts as a facilitator for its clients.

"We can hook them up with nice respectable places and get it 
delivered right to their door. Everything is legal; it's all above 
the board here."

But MTF does more than just that, explains Kennedy.

"That's the 25 per cent you see is the medical marijuana and getting 
people in touch. The second side of this, the 75 per cent, are peer 
support groups."

MTF provides a comfortable area to sit and visit with others in 
similar circumstances as well as potentially having volunteers come 
in to put on various classes such as cooking and yoga.

Sean Mahr of Hamilton, himself a veteran of the Royal Canadian 
Armoured Corps, is the peer support co-ordinator.

"We sit around; we do a little check in to see how you're doing. We 
just share similar experiences. We don't do any politics or religion 
it's more just 'how are you doing right now'?"

Mahr is also a client of MTF and shares Kennedy's experience with 
medical marijuana as treatment.

"It's huge. I went off all the narcotics and now I'm strictly on 
medical marijuana and it's changed my life drastically."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom