As veterans’ pot prescriptions rise tenfold in 2 years, Ottawa asks questions

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By Catherine Cullen

Minister of Veterans Affairs Kent Hehr says he wants answers following a spike in the number of veterans turning to the government to pay for their medically prescribed marijuana.

In 2013-14, 112 veterans were reimbursed for medical marijuana, according to figures provided by Veterans Affairs. The next year, it was 628. Now, in just the first nine months of the 2015-16 fiscal year, it’s shot up to 1,320.

“I immediately launched an internal review” after being briefed on the issue in early March, said Hehr.

“The fact that the former government let this program evolve from 2007 onward without a policy, an informed policy based on the wellness of veterans and their families, frankly hire vetsshocked me.”

The federal government sets a limit of how much pot it will pay for: 10 grams a day. What’s less clear is why veterans are using medical marijuana, because the department says it doesn’t track the underlying conditions behind the prescriptions.

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