Veterans see access to medical marijuana curtailed over doctors' concerns

gb123

Well-Known Member
Veterans who use medical marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder are having to go outside the network of clinics sanctioned by Veterans Affairs to get the drug due to concerns by doctors at the clinics about its effectiveness.

The last operational stress injury clinic to prescribe medical marijuana to former soldiers stopped doing so in January, citing a lack of research and concerns it might even be doing more harm than good.

"The physician's Hippocratic oath is that above all you should do no harm," said Dr. Anthony Njoku of the OSI clinic in Fredericton.

"These are people ... who are struggling. You don't want to be the one who's added on top of that all in the vain attempt at helping them. You then end up making them much worse," he said.

The decision by the clinic to stop prescribing medical cannabis is mentioned in an undated briefing note prepared for the deputy minister of Veterans Affairs and obtained by CBC News under access to information.

The department has struggled with its policy on medical marijuana for veterans. In May, the department lowered the daily limit for medical cannabis prescriptions covered by veterans' benefits to three grams a day, down from 10 grams, after an internal review found reimbursements to veterans for medical cannabis had shot up over the past decade.

The new policy allowed for higher amounts if the patient obtained authorization from a medical specialist.

But with the OSI clinics no longer prescribing cannabis, veterans with mental illnesses have one less place to turn to get a psychiatrist's approval.

Operational stress injury clinics provide assessments, treatment, prevention and support to serving Canadian Forces members and veterans with mental illnesses. The department of Veterans Affairs provides guidance to these clinics but does not get involved in operational issues. They are operated by local or provincial health authorities.

Making it up as they go along
Veterans Affairs, along with the Canadian Forces, are undertaking a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of medical cannabis in treating PTSD.

But for now, Njoku said the research and evidence is scant.

"Overall, we really even now don't have that much research work that has been done to determine either the dosing, to determine the efficacy, to determine which kind of clients would best benefit from this," he said.

"We're making it up as we go along unfortunately," he said.

That reason isn't good enough for veteran Fabian Henry.

"It's not fair, it's just not fair that we don't have a place to go, those who choose medicinal marijuana," he said. "I have to look for outside help, other than the operational stress injury clinic."

Henry served in the Canadian Forces for 12 years and was medically released after being diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder in 2012. Now he's the founder of Marijuana for Trauma, a company with 15 locations to help veterans access medical marijuana across the country.

He uses marijuana to relieve his PTSD symptoms.


Fabian Henry says it's unfair that he and other veterans cannot get medical marijuana prescriptions from Veterans Affairs-sanctioned clinics. (CBC)

Henry said now that the clinic in Fredericton no longer writes prescriptions or fills special requests of veterans for amounts beyond the limit of three grams of dried cannabis per day, it's next to impossible for him to get the seven grams of marijuana he said he requires to cope with his symptoms.

"When they cut my medicine back, I started to fear for my health, those around me, my community, because before all of this I was not a good person.... I didn't want to go down that road again," he said.

Limited access
Veterans are able to access medical marijuana for mental-health illnesses from physicians outside of the Veterans Affairs network. Henry said that if someone does not need more than three grams, access is getting better because of groups like his.

In an email to CBC News, a spokesperson for Veterans Affairs said operational stress injury clinics are run by provincial health authorities and the department does not have the "authority to direct any health care professionals to authorize specific treatments."

The department reimbursed 5,190 veterans for medical cannabis between April 1 and July 31, 2017. As of Aug. 29, the department had received 637 requests for reimbursement of more than three grams per day since November 2016.
 

WHATFG

Well-Known Member
"The physician's Hippocratic oath is that above all you should do no harm," said Dr. Anthony Njoku of the OSI clinic in Fredericton.
I'm calling bullshit....not their concern at all. I went to my doc looking for my 15g/d....I have copd and really need to find an alternative to smoking....nope couldn't get that script, but happily would give me 3g/d to smoke instead, because that's what the experts are recommending. Fuck all of them.
 

buckets

Well-Known Member
I agree with you grow rock. My dad just died of cancer and instead of listening to alternate treatments the oncologist prescribed a $9,000 medication of which the cancer specialist got a nice kickback. In my opinion somebody above the government is pulling the garrot chord around veterans necks. I served in the military in the 1990's so I feel for those veterans. They've been screwed over by the Liberals who I think are controlled by the bilderberg group and other societies. Thank Christ we kicked out the liberals in BC. Good riddance. The damage they have done to our province is staggering.
 

VIANARCHRIS

Well-Known Member
They've been screwed over by the Liberals
Actually they were screwed over by the Harper Conservatives - remember? They had pensions and support cut and suffered a epidemic of suicides. What exactly have the Liberals done to the vets? The problem is the doctors and big pharma, not unlike what the rest of us experience.
And as for getting rid of the Liberals in BC - you do realize they are liberal in name only and are politically far right of centre? If you were around in the 90's, you should be very worried of the damage the NDP will inflict on the province. I and thousands of others were forced to leave the province to find work.
 

buckets

Well-Known Member
Yes, you are right. I do remember glen clark of the provincial NDP. That was such a bad time for BC. And yes I also agree with you that Harper screwed the veterans too. Now the Liberals are doing it. Neither of the two big parties helped them. We need something else instead of going back and forth all the time.
 

BobCajun

Well-Known Member
What, they were getting 10 g a day on the taxpayers? At LP prices that's at least $100 a day. Are you fucking kidding me? Give em some goddamn valium and tell em to grow the hell up. Fucking pussies. See a few heads get blown off and they crack. PTSD my ass. It's pussy boy syndrome.

Actually, I think I've heard that it's not stress that causes the conditions, it's chemicals used on the war fields, or something like that, I don't recall exactly. Could probably find out about it by searching. Dropping all em bombs is gonna spread some crap around, that's for sure. Anyway, doubt if weed would help, and way too expensive. Guess I was a little harsh above. No disrespect to vets intended. Just seemed like a drain on taxpayers. Maybe it's from blast waves injuring the brain, page.
 
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VIANARCHRIS

Well-Known Member
I think the promotion to head burger-flipper has gone to Bob's head. Can't wait for Bob to get his teeth knocked out by one of those 'pussy boys'.
 

BobCajun

Well-Known Member
I think the promotion to head burger-flipper has gone to Bob's head. Can't wait for Bob to get his teeth knocked out by one of those 'pussy boys'.
I was just speculating. I edited the post with additional information since that first paragraph, so relax.
 

WHATFG

Well-Known Member
What, they were getting 10 g a day on the taxpayers? At LP prices that's at least $100 a day. Are you fucking kidding me? Give em some goddamn valium and tell em to grow the hell up. Fucking pussies. See a few heads get blown off and they crack. PTSD my ass. It's pussy boy syndrome.

Actually, I think I've heard that it's not stress that causes the conditions, it's chemicals used on the war fields, or something like that, I don't recall exactly. Could probably find out about it by searching. Dropping all em bombs is gonna spread some crap around, that's for sure. Anyway, doubt if weed would help, and way too expensive. Guess I was a little harsh above. No disrespect to vets intended. Just seemed like a drain on taxpayers. Maybe it's from blast waves injuring the brain, page.
So lemme get this straight...it's the vets' fault that LPs charge excessive amounts for cannabis....Bob? You're a piece of shit.
 

BobCajun

Well-Known Member
So lemme get this straight...it's the vets' fault that LPs charge excessive amounts for cannabis....Bob? You're a piece of shit.
No, it's their fault for accepting the tax money to pay for it when they know very well that they just wanna get high. They ain't fooling me. Weed don't even relax a person, it causes more anxiety and psychosis. It will actually be to their benefit to get cut off. Then they won't be PTSD victims AND potheads.
 

TheRealDman

Well-Known Member
No, it's their fault for accepting the tax money to pay for it when they know very well that they just wanna get high. They ain't fooling me. Weed don't even relax a person, it causes more anxiety and psychosis. It will actually be to their benefit to get cut off. Then they won't be PTSD victims AND potheads.
So are you a real MMJ user or just a scammer like these veterans you speak of? What conditions do you use MMJ for?
 

ANC

Well-Known Member
First, do no harm? Do these fuckers even have the slightest idea what it is like living with the side effects of psych meds?:
 

VIANARCHRIS

Well-Known Member
No, it's their fault for accepting the tax money to pay for it when they know very well that they just wanna get high. They ain't fooling me. Weed don't even relax a person, it causes more anxiety and psychosis. It will actually be to their benefit to get cut off. Then they won't be PTSD victims AND potheads.
Holy fuck, you're stupid, Bob. "weed don't even relax a person" hahahahahaha! I feel pretty fucking relaxed after I smoke a joint - helps with my anxiety too. "Weed causes psychosis"? What in the fuck are you snorting, Bob? You're a fucking joke.
 

BobCajun

Well-Known Member
Holy fuck, you're stupid, Bob. "weed don't even relax a person" hahahahahaha! I feel pretty fucking relaxed after I smoke a joint - helps with my anxiety too. "Weed causes psychosis"? What in the fuck are you snorting, Bob? You're a fucking joke.
See what I mean? Look how non relaxed you are, and psychotic. I rest my case.
 
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