Why medical cannabis should be covered by plans and payers

With cannabinoid-based medicines, clinicians can often wean multiple other meds - which not only has a powerful effect on patients' well-being - but also a huge cost-saving effect. I'll be publishing some data on this soon - but if any of you have further evidence to illustrate this, please reach out. We'd love to get more people involved in the #CoverCannabis Project. Once the provinces & payers understand the cost-benefit, hopefully there will be more coverage for medical cannabis - especially for our most vulnerable patients. Check out more of my thoughts on this in this article.

The #CoverCannabis Project: Multimodal Medications

We are currently in the midst of a chronic disease epidemic, with conditions like obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, depression and type two diabetes at an all time high. Rather than prescribing a pill for every symptom, multimodal therapies like exercise, nutrition and cannabinoid-based medicines can be very helpful in these scenarios and significantly help to reduce polypharmacy. 

Without a doubt, this approach should also be focused on more in med school, so that our new doctors have more patient-centred tools to tackle the modern chronic disease epidemic.

The #CoverCannabis Project: Meet Sharon

Meet Sharon. She’s been struggling with IBS, insomnia and chronic pain for far too long. Medical Cannabis has been a game-changer for her quality of life, but like so many seniors on a fixed income, the cost is a strain. Please share & tag your local MP/MPPs if you support more coverage for medical cannabis. We can’t get this done without you!

The #CoverCannabis Project: Janet's Story

Need another reason why medicinal cannabis should be covered? Take a look at this amazing story. After just a couple of weeks on cannabinoid therapy, my patient has her severe fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis pain under control and has been able to sleep through the night for the first time in NINE years! You’ve heard me say it a million times, but a good night’s sleep goes a long way in reducing pain. Oh and we’ve been able to wean her opioid pain medication too. 

Grateful to all my patients who have shared their story to further this important cause: #CoverCannabis