VETERANS AFFAIRS OFFICIALS FOCUS ON CONS IN MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISCUSSION

I am going to have my first cannabis tea.

Just waiting for this announcement from Hehr is giving me anxiety.

Bruce, the problem were facing with Kent on this matter and every other matter is that Kent likes to travel a lot, he loves photo ops, and by the looks of things enjoys eating out and socializing with people. Everything he is faced with regarding our file is passed down for others to handle. He has a sidekick to aid or help him answer the basic questions regarding our file, those groups that are given the task to handle what he has passed down to them, report back to him with the solution or implementation, once this is done, Kent simply reports what was reported to him. This way, issues or matters that pertains to our file does not interfere with his glamorous travels and his socializing. In other words he is going to precede on what those bureaucrats say or suggest, Veterans are only used for PR, not for our suggestions or recommendations. He is fooling a lot of people, including Veterans, that's my opinion.

Erectile dysfunction side effect.

Again, I don't care what the science says or does not say, or what so-called experts say. The fact is, medical cannabis, has made my life better. Pills are the wrong way to go for me. I was a mess on the pills, with medical cannabis I have none of the side effects I experienced on a pill regimen.

Minister Hehr, if you're reading this, look before you leap. Don't listen to the Auditor General, because his job is to be a cheap skate. Rather than adjust the budget, with regards to medical marijuana, I suggest MP's lower their salaries and per diems.

You can't put a price on the mental well being of Veterans.

That's awesome!

I received my first order.

Vet officials were down on medical pot.

Sep 15, 2016

OTTAWA — Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr was briefed on many of the concerns and questions about medical marijuana use in a presentation earlier this year, including fears that paying for injured ex-soldiers' pot could actually make matters worse.

Noticeably absent, however, was any discussion about the potential positive benefits of medical marijuana, despite many veterans claiming it has helped them deal with physical and mental injuries such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

The documents, obtained by The Canadian Press through Access to Information, have puzzled one researcher and reinforced concerns among some veterans that the government is about to put more restrictions on their access to cannabis to save money.

The government is expected to unveil a new policy on medical marijuana for veterans in the coming weeks, after Auditor General Michael Ferguson's report in May that Veterans Affairs spent more than $20 million in 2015-16, up from $5 million the previous year.

Ferguson said the department, which will cover up to 10 grams of weed per veteran per day, had lost control of the program. But some veterans' groups have pushed back, saying Ferguson was wrong to focus only on cost, and that any reduction to the benefits will have a detrimental impact on injured ex-soldiers.

In an emailed statement, Hehr described medical marijuana as "an emerging field and a complex issue with many facets to consider." He said officials have been meeting with medical professionals, experts and veterans "to get the fullest picture possible of how any policy developed will impact veterans."

In her presentation to Hehr on March 2, Veterans Affairs chief medical officer Dr. Cyd Courchesne quoted a number of authorities and researchers that had questioned the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

"The CMA (Canadian Medical Association) still believes there is insufficient scientific evidence available to support the use of marijuana for clinical purposes," reads one slide.

Another noted that a literature review by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health Canada had found "no relevant evidence to support the use of dried cannabis for medical treatment for any medical condition including PTSD."

Courchesne cited two studies from the U.S. that had found marijuana could actually make matters worse for people suffering from PTSD.

A discussion section near the end of the presentation noted that Veterans Affairs is the only organization that pays for marijuana, adding: "Funding the purchase of marijuana for veterans could be detrimental to recovery and well-being (e.g., second-order effects, such as drug-use disorders)."

Zach Walsh, co-director of the University of British Columbia's Centre for the Advancement of Psychological Science and Law, said there is also research that suggests cannabis is helpful for those suffering from PTSD — and he questioned why Veterans Affairs didn't include it.

Walsh also wondered why Veterans Affairs did not make any mention of the claims from dozens if not hundreds of veterans about the benefits of marijuana.

Walsh, who recently launched a clinical research project on the medical effects of marijuana, said the reality is that there hasn't been enough research to determine either way. But he said to dismiss it outright is wrong.

"If we're going to respect the veterans and respect people with PTSD, we have to test it before we say that it's no good," he said. "They say this is tremendously effective. Let's try to improve that knowledge."

Sylvain Chartrand, director of Canadian Veterans Advocacy, said the presentation raises concerns that officials are trying to steer the minister and government toward severely restricting access to medical marijuana for veterans.

"It highlights that they want the minister to go one way," said Chartrand, who says he uses about eight grams of marijuana per day. "The research may not be there, but it's a fact that it does work."

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, double the amount recommended by Health Canada.

http://www.insidehalton.com/news-story/6859809-vet-officials-were-down-on-medical-pot/

I would like to smoke some pot wright in front of our so called minister and then grab a big fracking cast iron pot and hit him over the head with it and hopefully this would nock some sence in that Mellon of his

And Trooper wins the Perfect Description Award in describing our fearless Minister!\

Congrats trooper now you tell your wife you have earned a cookie. LOL

All I can say is that if the Minister lowers the grams or alters the policy in a way that is worse off of what is in place now, he is not doing Veterans any good and he may even end up costing the government more as this may force many to go back on the high cost drugs which gives Veterans far more side effects than Medical Cannabis. If anything, he should be boosting up the program, not dismantling it. Nevertheless, like I said, he is a follower and will do what is suggested to him by his peers, and will never do what Veterans suggest. Something we all must come to grips with.

Panserbjørn wrote:I personally do find 10g/day to be excessive.

Maybe for you personally 10 grams a day is high. As the Devils advocate, someone could say the same about high dosage opiate prescriptions. A person could be using what other people think is a high dosage of Percocet or Oxy and find that it works. I think it depends on tolerance and method of use. If you burned 10 grams a day the effects would be different than if you ate or drank 10 grams worth of food or tea in a day.

I personally do find 10g/day to be excessive.

If you look at this whole gong show on medical marijuana it's purpose is for one reason only...to lower the daily amount.

That said do not be shocked when it comes out, pretty soon, that the max will be 3 grams/day.

Well there's one thing we know for certain, our Minister is no leader, he is definitely a follower, so whatever his told, he will do.