Several British Columbia cannabis organizations have joined together to bring focus to the the issues faced by veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces.
A charity poker night this past Friday organized by Smiling Buddah, Canna Events, Thompson Caribou Concentrates, and Potent Industry at The Green Ceiling in Victoria raised funds donated to Wounded Warriors and the PTSD Association of Canada.
“The men and women that protect this country are being overlooked,” wrote Smiling Buddah. “When dealing with PTSD and other trauma related issues, [they are] being handed prescription pills to mask the problems. Shockingly, Cannabis isn’t widely offered to veterans as an option for treatment in Canada.”
A May report showed that the agency had paid over $20 million for medical cannabis to veterans, up from $5 million the year before. Veterans Affairs provides up to 10 grams of medical cannabis a day to veterans.
Auditor general Michael Ferguson said the agency had lost control of the program, prompting Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr to call for a review, actions that have caused some veterans to be concerned that the government will soon severely limit their access to medical cannabis.
In documents obtained by the Canadian Press, Hehr was reportedly briefed on medical cannabis, but no benefits of the substance were listed, instead focusing on potential harms to former soldiers taking cannabis.
No information was included in the presentation about reducing veterans’ dependence on other pharmaceuticals and that no link was proven between health improvements and cannabis.
“We feel that the men and women that protect this country are being overlooked when they return home,” wrote Thompson Caribou Concentrates. “When dealing with the sensitive topic of PTSD and other trauma related issues, we are being handed handfuls of prescription pills to mask the problems instead of dealing with the issues.”
With Remembrance Day soon approaching, several of the businesses involved in the event have promised to do more for veterans.
“Teaming up with Smiling Buddah Inc, Thompson Caribou Concentrates, EXPERT JOINTS, Glacial Gold Premium Extracts and Noble Extracts, Potent Industry is proud to announce that from the November 1-10 2016, we will be offering cannabis products in all forms free of charge to all veterans,” wrote a message posted by Thompson Caribou Concentrates.