Cannabis Makes up 22% of Canadian Veteran Drug Payments
More than one-fifth of the money paid to veterans by the federal government for prescribed drugs in the fiscal year 2015-16 went toward medical cannabis. That's up from just 0.5 per cent in 2013-14.
The data, obtained by CBC News through an Access to Information request, shows the effect medical marijuana payments are having on the drug reimbursement budget of Veterans Affairs Canada.
In 2015-16, veterans were reimbursed $91,557,485 for all prescribed drugs. Of that, $20,538,153 went toward medical marijuana.
The dollar value of marijuana payments to veterans have increased more than 50-fold in the past two years.
The number of veterans being reimbursed for drugs has dropped every year for the past decade, but last year the total drug budget at Veterans Affairs increased for the first time in nine years.
The average amount paid to veterans claiming for drugs had remained relatively steady until the sharp rise
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