Veterans Affairs Canada Spent More On Medical Cannabis Than Any Other Medication In 2019

Many military veterans all around the world suffer from one or more health conditions, often related to their years serving their countries. Canada is no exception.

The range of conditions is wide, with military veterans in Canada suffering from all types of ailments including chronic pain, poor mental health, and various diseases. Some military veterans retired from service perfectly healthy, but age-related ailments began as the veterans became older.

Military veterans in Canada have been prescribed all types of medicines, with some being safer than others.

One medicine that has proven to be safe and effective is cannabis, and fortunately for the health of Canadian military veterans, Veterans Affairs in Canada spent an enormous amount of money in 2019 making sure that veterans had enough cannabis.

In fact, more was spent on medical cannabis than any other medication. Per Salt Wire:

The Department of Veterans Affairs spent $77,794,212.57 last year on marijuana.

That is more than the department spent ($66.2 million) on the 12,000 other drugs approved to be prescribed for veterans.

It’s inspiring to see Canada’s government stepping up in this way. It would be fantastic to see every other government take such a compassionate approach, including and especially the United States government, which continues to block even basic attempts to improve safe access to cannabis for military veterans.