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Therapeutic Cannabis use

Crocket @ COD
                          What you are talking about could easily hold its own topic thread.
                          noted is the fact of more substance abuse, which I find today quite
                          rampant no matter where you go. I realize there are the "gentleman
                          smokers" out there who find comfort in some way using MJ. Which in
                          some small way, is in itself used for medicinal purposes. Quite closely
                          related to the subject matter. Thank you
                         
 
57, I wish you luck....
  I know all about back pain as I've broken mine on duty not too long ago.  I've been through Hydromorphone, codeine, and all kinds of tylenol and Ibuprophen.  I hate taking pills and I hate how they make me feel.  If MJ could help, and was pefectly legal...I'd most likely be all over that.
COD :cdn:
 
57Chevy said:
Crocket @ COD
                          What you are talking about could easily hold its own topic thread.
                          noted is the fact of more substance abuse, which I find today quite
                          rampant no matter where you go. I realize there are the "gentleman
                          smokers" out there who find comfort in some way using MJ. Which in
                          some small way, is in itself used for medicinal purposes. Quite closely
                          related to the subject matter. Thank you
                       

Question for you,

Which will make this topic relevant for the forums.  Is this thread about released members that are pensioned for the injuries, that you inquire about medicating via THC?  Or are we talking about serving members being covered under the CF Health Services?

As you can imagine, there are two avenues of mindset.  Medicinal MJ is much more acceptable in the civilian population, as it is easier to keep confidentiality, as opposed to those that serve who are tested frequently and have to explain the approved use.

dileas

tess
 
CallOfDuty said:
57, I wish you luck....
  I know all about back pain as I've broken mine on duty not too long ago.  I've been through Hydromorphone, codeine, and all kinds of tylenol and Ibuprophen.  I hate taking pills and I hate how they make me feel.  If MJ could help, and was pefectly legal...I'd most likely be all over that.
COD :cdn:

I don't blame you at all......that is the reason I started this thread. I think there is a need to
know more on the real consequences of possible addiction. Besides the Celebrex I use the triatec medication, and I find it quite effective. (I rarely use it though) I bought myself a special bed and a whirlpool bath which also helps. Also I use all sorts of rub crap and at times those little stick on heat pads.

 
With a neighbour like the USA and it's war on drugs the political pressure will never allow the legalisation of Pot in Canada. We will continue to empower criminal organisations by forcing Joe civi to give money to criminals than giving it back to the government and legit business. I personally don't smoke it due to my work, however that's the only reason.

If the minority wanted to get into power, all they would have to do was make legalisation of marijuana and they would win the majority. Holland hasn't slipped into dispair has it? Imagine putting pot cafes in Cornwall ON etc, imagine the pot tourism coming from the states....how many buy tickets to Holland now? How many would drive north for a weekend and bring their money for weed and food and lodging?

It just makes sense to me to legalise it.

 
dogger1936 said:
With a neighbour like the USA and it's war on drugs the political pressure will never allow the legalisation of Pot in Canada. We will continue to empower criminal organisations by forcing Joe civi to give money to criminals than giving it back to the government and legit business. I personally don't smoke it due to my work, however that's the only reason.

If the minority wanted to get into power, all they would have to do was make legalisation of marijuana and they would win the majority. Holland hasn't slipped into dispair has it? Imagine putting pot cafes in Cornwall ON etc, imagine the pot tourism coming from the states....how many buy tickets to Holland now? How many would drive north for a weekend and bring their money for weed and food and lodging?

It just makes sense to me to legalise it.

Ah ah ah....

As per 57Chevy, this is about Therapeutic Pot, which is completely legal for those that qualify.

Let us not muddy the Water in the bong.

dileas

tess
 
There is only one way to settle this once and for all, and it involves a CF-wide 2-year trial.
 
the 48th regulator said:
Question for you,

Which will make this topic relevant for the forums.  Is this thread about released members that are pensioned for the injuries, that you inquire about medicating via THC?  Or are we talking about serving members being covered under the CF Health Services?

As you can imagine, there are two avenues of mindset.  Medicinal MJ is much more acceptable in the civilian population, as it is easier to keep confidentiality, as opposed to those that serve who are tested frequently and have to explain the approved use.

dileas
tess
  I can understand that
I am retired from the CF. Many older vets would not ever consider MJ as pain relief treatment.
I don't think serving members should consider even talking about it to their MOs. (My opinion)
So basically......pensionned members suffering pain from sustained injuries. I don't want anybody gettng into the mud caused by my thread
I hope this is clear.





 
Petamocto said:
There is only one way to settle this once and for all, and it involves a CF-wide 2-year trial.

This could work well with the current operation, similar to what we practiced in the latter stages of the operation In the FRY.

Win the hearts and minds of the locals, by allowing us to visit and purchase the fine wares of the locals.

dileas

tess
 
Petamocto said:
There is only one way to settle this once and for all, and it involves a CF-wide 2-year trial.

Don't be rediculous ;D
However, Veterans Affairs could undertake such a venture for retired members seeking pain relief management provided its proven effectiveness, and overall cost efficiency. But I have my doubts. 
 
57Chevy said:
However, Veterans Affairs could undertake such a venture for retired members seeking pain relief management provided its proven effectiveness, and overall cost efficiency. But I have my doubts.

Well, we just came full circle. On the first page the entitlement through VAC was confirmed:

the 48th regulator said:
VAC covers it, if it is prescribed by your Doctor (GP, Psychiatrist).

So, now the question is, does this meandering discussion have a further purpose beyond stroking someone's ego?

 
Michael O'Leary said:
Well, we just came full circle. On the first page the entitlement through VAC was confirmed:

So, now the question is, does this meandering discussion have a further purpose beyond stroking someone's ego?


I second that.

dileas

tess
 
I was quoting Petamoctos CF wide 2 year study :o
Don't be shattered but,
Where's the beef?
 
The beef is, what's the point?

This is a military forum populated by serving, retired and aspiring soldiers (for the most part).  The likelihood of there being any medical marijuana users here is slim.  If there are any, the likelihood someone is going to post about it here is even smaller.

Your hope of building a personal support group here for your desire for VAC to openly support veteran marijuana use under "medical" terms is misplaced here.  If you really want to talk to medical users, try a marijuana forum with medical threads.  Or try a medical forum with marijuana threads.

It is starting to sound like your doctor refused you a prescription because you didn't meet the medical criteria, so now you want try and drum up support from soldiers and veterans to lobby for an open approach supported by VAC.

Your argument is going nowhere. Even in Radio Chatter we have a tolerance that eventually hits its limit for BS meandering threads where people pretend to have a purpose but achieve nothing through inconsistent and poorly structured posts.

Clear enough?  Because I'm very close to locking this and any attempt to continue will result in being introduced to the warning system you agreed to on joining the site.
 
57Chevy said:
I was quoting Petamoctos CF wide 2 year study :o
Don't be shattered but,
Where's the beef?

And that folks is the beginning of melt down.

ideology1.jpg


Join us next time, Kids, as our heros, tess and Techno, devise a plan to take over the site!

Cheech_Chong_Together.jpg



Until then sleep tight, and don't let the "herb" bugs bite!

dileas

tess
 
michael oleary
                          If you read through all of the thread you will see that I was looking for info
on the subject. I thought there would be someone out there who could without a doubt affirm
that MJ actually does help the situation. Because I have my doubts. Like I said, if I went to
other places on the Web I would probably be told how it is so wonderful. What a croc.
Also, a friend of mine who had a very severe head-on car accident, who spent over 1 and a half years in hospital due to his injuries was later given MJ as a pain remedy.....Today he wished he never accepted that prescription.
In my case, I could easily obtain the same. However, my injuries are not as severe. But are related to military service. And after reading the many links and comments that some members have provided, I am inclined to retain the conventional medication that was prescribed.
And I thank those who have submitted valid input.
And by the way mike o, I do not have a family doctor.
Oh......Support the troops
                       
 
And with that ...

If anyone wants to share their medical marijuana stories with 57Chevy, contact him by PM.

Locked.

Milnet.ca Staff
 
              From Postmedia News and shared with provisions of The Copyright Act

Medical marijuana elevates former soldier from rock bottom
Glen McGregor, 09 Dec
http://www.canada.com/health/Medical+marijuana+elevates+former+soldier+from+rock+bottom/5838194/story.html

Chris Hillier’s life arc bottomed out in a Vancouver back alley, across the country from his Newfoundland home and a world away from the war zone that broke him.

Homeless, penniless, and addicted to crack cocaine, Hillier slept behind a community centre, at the intersection of Hastings and Main, the notorious epicentre of the city’s drug trade.

Three years earlier, Hillier was in the midst of a successful military career, serving his country as an air force firefighter aboard HMCS Preserver in the Middle East in the months after the 9/11 strikes on the U.S.

His tour with Operation Apollo took him to the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, and the Persian Gulf. But the constant stress of working in a theatre of war left him with post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition he believes was worsened by conventional pharmaceuticals prescribed by military doctors.

Today, Hillier is off the streets and clean because, he says, of a treatment that few in the Canadian military like to discuss: medical marijuana.

Hillier, 35, is one of just a handful of veterans who are treating their PTSD with cannabis and getting it paid for by Veterans Affairs Canada.

The department says 26 vets are getting support for participation in Health Canada’s Marihuana Medical Access Regulations (MMAR) program. Ten use it to treat PTSD, even though the Canadian Forces shun the drug for medical use.

The use of marijuana to treat PTSD is a contentious issue, particular in the U.S., where thousands of veterans have recently returned from war zones.

Despite pressure from soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan who claim the drug helps them, and advocacy by some doctors, the U.S. military has resisted calls to make it available to injured soldiers.

The U.S. Veterans Administration also does not consider marijuana a suitable treatment for PTSD and will not help its clients obtain it in any of the 16 states it is currently available medicinally.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in September rejected a request to authorize marijuana testing on 50 veterans with PTSD. The government said it had questions about the qualifications of the researchers and safety concerns about vets taking the drug outside of a medical facility.

The Canadian Forces will not consider prescribing marijuana to active members who might have the same health issues, either.

“The CF are committed to evidence-based medicine that has been thoroughly tested in multiple trials and published in peer-reviewed journals,” said Canadian Forces Health Service spokeswoman Colleen Boicey in an email.

“There is insufficient evidence for the safety and efficacy of medical use of marijuana in the treatment of PTSD.”

A 2007 directive sent to Canadian Forces doctors specifically forbids them from helping patients get marijuana.

“No CF physician, third-party contract physician . . . or a physician engaged under a DND contact will assist the patient to complete the submission to Health Canada under the MMAR,” says the directive, released to the Ottawa Citizen under the Access to Information Act.

The forces will pay for authorized Health Canada marijuana if members get approved by another doctor, but base pharmacies will not participate in its supply.

To treat PTSD, the forces say they have a mental health program that “provides dedicated and responsive care for ill and injured CF members.”

But Chris Hillier blames that approach for pushing pharmaceutical drugs on him and putting him on the path to cocaine addiction.

Though he hadn’t been diagnosed, Hillier was already showing signs of PTSD when he came back from the war. He lost interest in his work. He was argumentative and couldn’t sleep.

“I went from being a shining star to the bottom of the barrel,” Hillier says.

He chose not to renew his military contract and by the time he left, he was dealing with serious drug addiction issues. There was an assault charge on a police officer. Another charge for uttering threats. He lost custody of his children.

“It was really a downward spiral,” he says.

Only after he started using marijuana in Vancouver did he find some relief.

It helped control his anxiety and let him sleep. He put on weight he had shed during his addiction.

Hillier went home to Newfoundland and entered rehab. Doctors gave him psychiatric drugs — Zoloft, Risperidone, Seroquel — but he flushed them down the toilet and kept using cannabis.

“I was buying it on the street, growing it illegally in my basement,” he says.

“It’s what worked. Despite the fact it was a crime, I had to have some quality of life. I had to have some stability. The conventional drugs just created more problems.”

He shook his addiction to hard drugs and eventually told his doctor in Newfoundland the secret behind his recovery.

She finally agreed to sign off on his application to enter Health Canada’s medical marijuana program.

Veterans Affairs agreed to pay for the marijuana, as long as he bought it from Health Canada’s supplier, Prairie Plant Systems. He found, however, that the strain of government-sanctioned pot actually increased his anxiety. Now he grows his own and his wife bakes it into cookies. If his stress level gets too high, he smokes a joint.

Hillier is enrolled in a Veterans Affairs vocational training program, learning to work in information technology security.

He says he is disappointed that the Canadian Forces aren’t more open to marijuana to treat active service members dealing with stress disorders.

“The health and quality of life of our men and women in a uniform could be really improved,” he says.

Hillier says marijuana can be more effective in treating the PTSD symptoms than the anti-anxiety pharmaceuticals that the military health system prescribes. The forces and Veterans Affairs should offer the best treatment for members with PTSD, just as they would for soldiers with physical injuries sustained on duty, he says.

“They have a legal and moral obligation to fix you.”
 
Not a big expert, 10 grams is just over a 1/3 of an ounce, seems to me to be a large amount to do on a daily basis........

Shared in accordance to the Copyright Act.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/stoffer-medical-pot-ptsd-1.3813735

Former NDP MP Peter Stoffer agrees that medical cannabis can have benefits for veterans, but says he's worried about the amount of cannabis former soldiers are allowed under Veterans Affairs Canada rules.

Stoffer, who was veterans affairs critic for the NDP until he was defeated in the 2015 election, believes that the high level of medical marijuana allowed by Veterans Affairs — up to 10 grams a day — is fostering overuse.


"Ten grams a day is an awful lot of marijuana to give one person. It is an incredible amount."

Stoffer is now public affairs advocate for Trauma Healing Centres, a company that works with veterans, first responders and others dealing with trauma and chronic pain. While he says cannabis can help veterans who are suffering, he says the goal is to help manage their pain, not to get them high.

"That's simply not the way to go. You're not helping that person at all. You're not giving them any chance of recovery. All you're really doing is masking the pain that they're suffering," Stoffer said.

The Trauma Healing Centres offer counselling as well as medical cannabis consultations.

"What you need to do is really sit down with these individuals, and long before you dispense any marijuana, look at their lifestyle: what are they doing, what are they eating, where do they live, how is their financial situation, how is their personal situation?" he added.

Veterans Affairs doesn't actually give veterans medical marijuana, but the department allows them to be compensated for up to 10 grams a day through insurance. Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr said back in March that he was launching an internal review of medical marijuana policy, after data showed the number of prescriptions had increased tenfold in two years.

The results of that review will be released "in the coming weeks," Veterans Affairs Canada spokeswoman Sarah McMaster told CBC News.

"Veterans Affairs Canada is finalizing its review that assesses the department's current approach to reimbursing marijuana for medical purposes," she said in a written statement.

The auditor general expressed concern that 10 grams was too much in his spring 2016 report.

Auditor general wants better monitoring

"This is double the amount identified as being appropriate in Veterans Affairs Canada's consultations with external health professionals, and more than three times the amount that Health Canada has reported as being most commonly utilized by individuals for medical purposes," the report said.

The auditor's report also pointed out that while Veterans Affairs manages the only publicly funded plan that covers medical marijuana, "it does not monitor trends that may suggest high-risk utilization."

'We have to understand that these men and women have sustained serious, life-altering trauma in many cases'

- Michael Blais, Canadian Veterans Advocacy

At least one veterans' group takes issue with Stoffer's position.

"No bureaucrat is entitled to get between a patient and a doctor," said Michael Blais of Canadian Veterans Advocacy. "If that physician has 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 THC count 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, that — without 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 said there's not enough proof to authorize marijuana as a treatment for PTSD and that some evidence suggests it could be harmful.

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

Stoffer said he's seen many veterans whose lives were turned around by using cannabis to treat PTSD. He believes the 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 data for a nine-month span in 2015 and found that just four doctors authorized more than half the medical marijuana claims.

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

Though it appears that not all Dr's are prescribing that much.



Cheers
Larry
 
Uh, yeah, about that ... here's a response to the piece from his new employers ...
In relation to the article recently published by the CBC regarding Peter Stoffer: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/stoffer-medical-pot-ptsd-1.3813735

First, Trauma Healing Centers would like to apologize for any distress this has caused veterans and their families. Mr.Stoffer's comments were taken out of context and it sounds like he is trying to advocate for VAC to make major changes to the amount of medical cannabis veterans can have reimbursed. This could not be further from the truth.

Please understand that we only want what is right for veterans(and civilians) in terms of accessing beneficial treatments. We are in no way advocating for slashing the current limits VAC covers. We feel this would be a severe injustice to veterans and their families and potentially life threatening in some cases. VAC is having trouble understanding the medical value of cannabis and we are trying to help VAC understand there is value and there is a right way and a wrong way for it to be prescribed.

We are strong advocates for proper medical oversight of patients who are being tried on medical cannabis. A start low approach and proper medical oversight will result in finding the lowest effective dose to control symptoms, whether that's 1 gram or 10 grams per day. Just like any other medication.

We are also trying to expose and overcome the social stigma that exists related to medical cannabis patients who are tagged "pot heads" and it's assumed there's a recreational motivation. Peter Stoffer and Trauma Healing Centers are big believers in the medical value of cannabis for certain conditions and we see the positive results in our clinics each and every day.

If cannabis is ever to be taken seriously as a medicine it needs to be thought of like any other medicine in the sense there are real benefits which need to be monitored and measured for the well being of everyone involved.

We want our current patients and potential patients to know there is a right way and wrong way to do this and Trauma Healing Centers is committed to a very medical approach. Proper assessment, prescribing and follow up to ensure treatment success is the only way cannabis can be legitimized as a medicine in the view of all nay sayers.

Sincerely,
Trauma Healing Centers
I wonder if he wrote the statement as their new PR guy ...  >:D
 
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