Pubdate: Wed, 04 Jan 2017
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2017 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.ottawacitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Lee Berthiaume
Page: NP1

VETS' MEDICINAL POT LIMIT TRIMMED

Maximum Daily Limit Dropping From 10 Grams Down To Three

Almost three-quarters of veterans using medical marijuana will feel the
effect this spring when the federal government imposes a new limit on the
amount of weed for which it will pay.

A new report says 74 per cent of veterans whose medical pot is covered by
the government consume more than three grams per day - which will put them
over the three-gram daily maximum the government is poised to impose
starting in May.

The report says one in three uses 10 grams - the current maximum daily
allotment.

The figures are contained in an internal Veterans Affairs Canada audit
that raises broad questions about the use of pot by veterans, including
claims that it reduces the use of painkillers and other addictive drugs.

The government has pointed to skyrocketing costs and a lack of scientific
evidence about the drug's medical benefits in defending its decision to
scale back the amount it will cover, which the audit suggests will affect
hundreds of veterans.

But critics have questioned how the government decided on three grams per
day and they've raised concerns about the impact on veterans who require
more than three grams to deal with physical or mental injuries.

Veterans Affairs has paid for medical marijuana for veterans since 2008,
following a court decision requiring reasonable access when authorized by
a health-care practitioner.

The number of clients - and the associated cost - has exploded since 2014,
when regulatory changes at Health Canada and a new Veterans Affairs policy
allowed up to 10 grams per veteran per day.

According to the audit, more than 1,700 injured ex-soldiers were being
reimbursed for medical marijuana as of the end of last March. Just 26 per
cent were getting three grams or less each day.

The auditors did not say why such large amounts of marijuana were being
authorized, but they did find that hundreds of veterans had started with
between eight and 10 grams per day right off the bat.

Interviews with front-line staff, meanwhile, found veterans taking one to
two grams per day, "at appropriate times, are managing well."

The question of how much medical marijuana is enough has been hotly
debated since November, when Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr said he
was scaling back the maximum limit.

The move came amid revelations that the cost of medical marijuana for vets
had grown from $408,000 in 2013-14 to more than $20 million last year, and
after auditor general Michael Ferguson flagged the program as being out of
control.

Hehr's spokeswoman defended the change Tuesday, saying in an email that
the three gram allotment was established after wide consultations and a
review of existing research.

"We developed a policy that balances the anecdotal experience of the
beneficiary and the medical community's opinion on the risks of use of
cannabis for yet unscientifically proven treatment regimes," Sarah
McMaster said.

"This policy has the health and well-being of veterans and their families
at its heart."

Anyone requiring more than three grams can submit an application to the
department along with a note from a medical specialist.

Still, Conservative veterans affairs critic John Brassard said the audit
shows just how far reaching the new policy will be on those veterans who
use medical pot, and why more research is needed before reducing the
maximum allotment.

"The change to this policy has potentially serious implications," he said.
"It can't be a one-size-fits-all approach."

NDP veterans affairs critic Irene Mathyssen said she has heard personally
from veterans and their families, who have seen the benefits of medical
marijuana and worry about the new policy.

"It should be on a case-by-case basis," she said.
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