Cannabis for Medical Purposes

Cannabis for Medical Purposes

The health and well-being of Veterans are top priorities for the Government of Canada. This is why Veterans Affairs Canada developed a cannabis for medical purposes reimbursement policy, taking into account input that the Department received from Veterans, their advocates, stakeholders, medical experts, as well as existing research on using cannabis for medical purposes.

What's on this page

  1. Overview
  2. Timeline
  3. Statistics
  4. Additional Information

Overview

Announced on 22 November 2016, Veterans Affairs Canada's reimbursement policy for cannabis for medical purposes established a maximum three gram per day limit.

In response to feedback from Veterans and an internal review conducted earlier in 2016, the Department now also reimburses Veterans for up to three grams per day of dried cannabis, or its equivalent in fresh marijuana or cannabis oil.

Consistent with how the Department administers its other health care benefits, VAC established a fixed rate of up to $8.50 per gram, whether taken in dried marijuana, or its equivalent in fresh marijuana or cannabis oil. The fixed rate ensures that what Veterans are charged, and the Department reimburses, is a fair market value price.

The decision to reimburse up to three grams per day was based on information from consultations and research. The Department brought together a panel of Canadian medical experts who recommended a cautious approach to the use of cannabis for medical purposes, with most indicating one to two grams per day as a reasonable amount for the vast majority of cases. VAC also reviewed current scientific evidence and consulted with Veterans, stakeholders and licensed producers. This decision is also consistent with Health Canada, which indicates that the average Canadian is authorized 2.7 grams per day.

Expanding the products for reimbursement gives Veterans more options and aligns with Health Canada's 2014 regulations Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPRs), which removed limitations related to the authorization for specific conditions and the requirement for authorization by a specialist, amongst other changes; however, still required a medical authorization. With the advent of these new regulations Veterans Affairs Canada subsequently experienced a significant increase in cannabis for medical purposes reimbursements.

Currently, cannabis is authorized for a variety of medical conditions, however scientific evidence substantiating the efficacy and safety of cannabis is lacking.

Cannabis for medical purposes is an evolving area of treatment. The Department will continue to review and analyze information to ensure decisions are based on the best available evidence, and will adjust the policy, as needed, to ensure the well-being of our Veterans and their families.

On October 17, Veterans Affairs Canada released a revised Reimbursement Policy for Cannabis for Medical Purposes to account for the new Cannabis Act and Cannabis Regulations. Veterans will experience no change in the current reimbursement process for cannabis for medical purposes. In Budget 2018, the Government announced an investment of $10 million over five years for the Mental Health Commission of Canada to help assess the impact of cannabis use on the mental health of Canadians, and a further $10 million over five years to the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction to support research on cannabis use in Canada. These initiatives will help inform future policy development.

Timeline

2007
Veterans Affairs Canada made the decision to reimburse one Veteran for cannabis for medical purposes on compassionate grounds. Since that time, Veterans Affairs Canada has been reimbursing the cost of cannabis for medical purposes for Veterans in increasing numbers and at an increased cost.
2008-2014
The Department provided reimbursement for the cost of cannabis for medical purposes to Veterans based on Section 4 of the Veterans Health Care Regulations and in accordance with Health Canada's Marihuana Medical Access Regulations. The Marihuana Medical Access Regulations provided limited access to marijuana for a number of conditions and circumstances as defined by Health Canada when authorized by a specialist only.
April 2014
Health Canada introduced the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations, which removed limitations related to the authorization for specific conditions and the requirement for authorization by a specialist, among other changes; however, still required a medical authorization. With the advent of these new regulations Veterans Affairs Canada subsequently experienced a significant increase in cannabis for medical purposes reimbursements.
August 2016
Health Canada's Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations were introduced, which set out provisions for individuals to produce a limited amount of cannabis for their own medical purposes, or to designate someone to produce it for them.
October 2018
The new Cannabis Act and Cannabis Regulations come into effect, providing legal access to cannabis for Canadians. The Act and Regulations will also control and regulate the production, distribution and sale of cannabis.

For additional information, please see Frequently Asked Questions

Statistics

Note: This data is updated quarterly.

Cannabis for medical purposes expenditures, clients and grams reimbursed Footnote 1, Footnote 2, Footnote 3
Fiscal year Clients Reimbursed amount Grams reimbursed
2014-2015 628 $5,160,747 494,927
2015-2016 1,762 $20,538,153 1,745,644
2016-2017 4,474 $63,703,151 5,726,179
2017-2018 7,298 $50,967,423 6,068,671
2018-2019 10,466 $74,816,978 8,883,191
2019-2020 13,270 $85,151,847 10,152,284
2020-2021 15,369 $119,264,105 14,463,796
2021-2022 18,388 $153,780,985 19,351,466
2022-2023 21,108 $167,568,202 21,270,150
2023-2024 24,146 $191,708,163 24,329,042
2024-2025 (to September 30) 25,457 $131,256,584 16,424,687
Cannabis for medical purposes expenditures broken down by province and territory Footnote 1, Footnote 2, Footnote 4
Province/Territory Footnote 5 FY 2014-15 FY 2015-16 FY 2016-17 FY 2017-18 FY 2018-19 FY 2019-20 FY 2020-21 FY 2021-22 FY 2022-23 FY 2023-24 FY 2024-25
(to Sept 30)
AB $184,681 $466,191 $2,467,271 $3,332,784 $5,304,450 $6,674,255 $8,939,088 $11,905,063 $13,938,119 $17,073,711 $11,900,418
BC $417,865 $1,313,841 $3,568,322 $3,308,396 $4,441,305 $5,223,869 $8,080,508 $10,492,437 $11,215,875 $12,890,920 $8,963,606
MB $184,730 $341,241 $1,655,835 $1,846,935 $2,804,234 $2,992,083 $3,996,084 $4,692,864 $4,772,929 $5,133,501 $3,510,063
NB $2,229,291 $7,929,211 $16,003,325 $9,587,290 $13,898,618 $15,663,862 $23,306,177 $29,780,123 $31,579,208 $36,052,488 $24,364,381
NL $251,529 $943,100 $3,934,480 $2,741,542 $4,070,133 $4,454,390 $6,557,645 $8,566,273 $9,544,540 $11,175,629 $7,838,829
NS $858,085 $3,945,862 $10,050,454 $8,302,046 $12,954,832 $14,661,564 $20,561,822 $26,759,904 $30,111,373 $35,588,601 $24,499,769
NT $0 $2,469 $12,930 $18,678 $11,173 $35,002 $41,310 $75,108 $76,843 $72,641 $47,523
NU $0 $0 $0 $0 $3,060 $4,214 $540 $0 $2,784 $14,013 $3,311
ON $778,487 $4,540,398 $20,893,990 $16,876,187 $23,669,084 $27,019,676 $34,844,843 $43,526,465 $46,177,927 $50,054,008 $33,718,345
PE $24,936 $141,470 $706,217 $777,424 $1,343,472 $1,345,277 $1,871,966 $2,354,257 $2,450,593 $2,837,662 $1,789,242
QC $147,605 $669,556 $3,842,614 $3,694,656 $5,503,055 $6,290,728 $9,937,365 $14,262,477 $16,144,019 $19,038,408 $13,340,678
SK $83,539 $244,290 $535,263 $458,025 $782,284 $762,853 $1,088,164 $1,287,953 $1,493,683 $1,726,830 $1,249,637
XXFootnote 6 $0 $0 $18,952 $10,965 $0 $1,445 $15,064 $20,800 $30,577 $24,455 $9,025
YT $0 $525 $12,990 $12,495 $15,428 $19,569 $23,528 $57,260 $29,003 $25,296 $20,995
UnknownFootnote 7 $0 $0 $510 $0 $15,851 $3,060 $0 $0 $729 $0 $762
Total $5,160,747 $20,538,153 $63,703,151 $50,967,423 $74,816,978 $85,151,847 $119,264,105 $153,780,985 $167,568,202 $191,708,163 $131,256,584
Cannabis for medical purposes recipients broken down by province and territory Footnote 1, Footnote 2, Footnote 8, Footnote 11
Province/Territory Footnote 5 FY 2014-15 FY 2015-16 FY 2016-17 FY 2017-18 FY 2018-19 FY 2019-20 FY 2020-21 FY 2021-22 FY 2022-23 FY 2023-24 FY 2024-25
(to Sept 30)
AB 35 77 327 710 1,093 1,370 1,523 1,826 2,187 2,594 2,706
BC 50 143 321 531 770 1,013 1,253 1,518 1,668 1,964 2,058
MB 9 31 133 217 305 389 439 507 560 598 622
NB 210 393 794 1,100 1,489 1,829 2,141 2,545 2,979 3,441 3,601
NL 28 89 208 314 441 560 689 836 967 1,136 1,197
NS 103 354 759 1,295 1,939 2,466 2,851 3,438 4,038 4,718 5,048
NT 0 1 2 4 5 8 7 9 8 11 9
NU 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 1
ON 163 609 1,587 2,520 3,565 4,476 4,946 5,728 6,342 6,884 7,081
PE 3 13 61 127 171 203 222 272 322 348 343
QC 18 64 291 523 747 1,046 1,416 1,884 2,260 2,577 2,750
SK 14 26 60 89 129 133 140 157 188 219 241
XXFootnote 9 0 0 1 3 0 4 5 12 11 13 11
YT 0 1 1 2 2 4 4 6 7 4 5
UnknownFootnote 10 0 0 1 0 4 2 0 0 1 0 1
Total 628 1,762 4,474 7,298 10,466 13,270 15,369 18,388 21,108 24,146 25,457

Additional Information

Frequently Asked Questions

Information for Health Professionals

Policy

Review

Veterans Affairs Canada Statistics - Facts and Figures

Health Canada - Cannabis in Canada