Veterans allowed too much pot, says former NDP MP Peter Stoffer

We have to understand that these men and women have sustained serious, life-altering trauma in many cases- MichaelBlais, Canadian Veterans Advocacy

At least one veterans' group takes issue with Stoffer'sposition.

"No bureaucrat is entitled to get between a patient and a doctor," said Michael Blais of Canadian Veterans Advocacy."If that physicianhas written out a script for whatever, it is Veterans Affairs Canada's obligation to fulfil that script if it relates to the wound. End of story. There's no limitations."

Blais said he takes six grams of marijuana a day to help with complex neurological pain. He said his marijuana has a high THCcount to address his particular type of pain. However he says many veterans are using lower THC cannabis, which means they are unlikely to get high.Blais said marijuana has helped him and many others get off narcotic painkillers.

He's upset by Stoffer's suggestion that doctors are prescribing too much medical pot.

"We have to understand that these men and women have sustained serious, life-altering trauma in many cases," and that medical marijuana has given them hope.

"And now that they've found relief, now that there's an alternative there, for anyone who is not in pain, who has not sacrificed, to come out and make arbitrary statements on dosage, thatwithout even looking at [a]man's medical record or talking to his doctor, is ludicrous," Blais said.

Pot for post-traumatic stress

Stoffer and Blais both agree with veterans using cannabis to help with post-traumatic stress disorder.However the Canadian Forces has saidthere's not enough proof to authorize marijuana as a treatment forPTSDand thatsome evidence suggests it could be harmful.

It's unclear how many veterans use medical marijuana to treatPTSDor operational stress injuries.Veterans Affairs said in March that it doesn't track the underlying conditions behindprescriptions.

Stoffer said he's seen many veterans whose lives were turned around by using cannabis to treat PTSD. He believesthe anecdotal evidence of its effects, combined with whatever scientific data is available, should be enough for the government.

"I believe so. But don't take my word for it, take the word of the veterans who are on medical cannabis and what it's done for them."

A doctor would have to prescribe marijuana in order for Veterans Affairs to cover the costs,but the auditor general also raised questions about the practice.

It analyzed the datafor a nine-month span in 2015 and found that just four doctors authorized more than half the medical marijuana claims.

Stoffer added that he'dlike to see monitoring by Veterans Affairs to see if the medications they covered are actually helping veterans in the way they were intended.