Cannabis News: Lifestyle Screening For Veterans On Medical Marijuana Raises Concern On Stigma

Medical marijuana has been shown to possess numerous health benefits and many countries have already legalized its use. In Canada, former NDP MP Peter Stoffer suggests the screening of lifestyle of veterans who are using medical marijuana, turning the spotlight on the stigma surrounding its use.

Under the Veterans Affairs Canada Rules, veterans are allowed 10 grams of cannabis per day. Stoffer, however, reiterated that this is a lot of marijuana to give to one person, CBC News reports. Meanwhile, Veterans Affairs Minister agreed and announced that the dosage might be reduced to just 3 grams per day.

During the interview with Stoffer, who is now the spokesperson for Nova Scotia-based Trauma Healing Centers, said that an extensive lifestyle examination should be carried out before being granted access to medical marijuana, especially the veterans. This is to prevent them from using cannabis simply to get high.

This suggestion, however, is deemed a means to turn the spotlight on the social stigma imposed on medical marijuana use among veterans. The move to reduce the dosage of medical marijuana prescription among veterans was also opposed by most veterans, saying that the potential high brought about by its use was an unwanted side effect.

The Canadian government announced that it is also slashing the limit on how much veterans will be prescribed under federal rules, Vice reports. Aside from reducing the dosage to just 3 grams per day, the government is putting a hard cap on how much cannabis should cost -- at $8.50 a gram.

"This is just our starting point," Kent Hehr, Veterans Affairs Minister, said.

"It's time to change that," he said, adding that the social stigma of medical marijuana use should be removed, especially for the veterans who have contributed so much to the country.

In 2017, Canada will become the first ever G7 nation to fully legalize marijuana, both in medical and recreational use.