Dankr.ca – Your Toronto Connection
Article by Catherine Cullen, CBC News
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.
