Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER DECEMBER 2019 NEWS 3 Cannabis may offer hope to PTSD sufferers, finds UBC study But medical cannabis coverage still evolving area for insurers, employers BY JOHN DUJAY CANNABIS may one day be- come a viable treatment option for people who suffer from post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a new study. In analyzing health survey data collected by Statistics Canada from more than 24,000 Cana- dians, researchers from the BC Centre on Substance Use (BCC- SU) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) found that can- nabis non-users with PTSD were about seven times more likely to have experienced a recent major depressive episode, and 4.7 times more likely to have thoughts of suicide compared to cannabis non-users without PTSD. Cannabis has been gaining popularity as a treatment for PTSD, whether or not that was authorized under the medical cannabis system in Canada or a self-management treatment strategy for people struggling with PTSD who have not bene- fited from conventional therapy, says lead author Stephanie Lake, a PhD candidate in population and public health at the Uni- versity of British Columbia in Vancouver. "With limited treatment options for PTSD, many patients have tak- en to medicating with cannabis to alleviate their symptoms," she says. "However, this is the first time that results from a nationally rep- resentative survey have shown the potential benefits of treating the disorder with cannabis." But the risks of using cannabis for mental health issues might give employers pause when it comes to benefits coverage, says Lake. "Higher-risk users and people who screen positive for cannabis use disorder did not see that same benefit and might actually be at a higher risk of depression and sui- cidal ideation, and so I think that's an important distinction to make. It does support some of that cau- tion that health-care providers do have around authorizing can- nabis, because there are risks as- sociated with cannabis, especially when we're considering a concur- rent mental illness." It's very nuanced and complex topic, she says. "ere's a lot of things about this study that make it a very preliminary finding in that we can't actually conclude that PTSD is treatable with cannabis." Cannabis coverage When it comes to providing coverage, there's still a stigma around marijuana as a treatment drug, which might mean some employers shy away, says Angelo Tsebelis, president of Starseed Medicinal in Toronto. "When you look at canna- bis through two lenses, one is through the lens of how it was scheduled as a narcotic and it was lumped into a category with devastating drugs like heroin and cocaine and the fact that it was so heavily regulated and so that stigma and that misperception obviously has created a signifi- cant hurdle in people's minds," he says. "You couple that with pop cul- ture and how we've seen cannabis portrayed in movies and every- body refers to the Cheech and Chong [movies] — it's created a lot of dubiousness, and employ- ers and benefit plans are really doubting people's true intentions and integrity of why they want to consume cannabis." Many employers may unknow- ingly be offering medical cannabis coverage, says Karina Karassev, COO at Responsible Cannabis Use (RCU), a cannabis education company in Toronto. "What most employers don't understand is that if they have a health spending account, they're actually already providing medi- cal cannabis coverage. If some- body gets their medical cannabis authorization through Health Canada through the ACMPR (Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations) process, and for any other for pain relief or anxiety for any other condi- tions, they can actually claim this through their health spending ac- count," she says. "at's what's currently avail- able in the marketplace." Sun Life offers an optional cov- erage for cannabis under the ex- tended health-care plan, where plan sponsors can decide on a yearly benefit maximum. "It ranges anywhere from $1,500 to $6,000 and that's per covered person per benefit year," says Cristina dos Santos, director, extended health care, product de- DRUG> pg. 25 In today's evolving economy, people are your biggest asset. Unleash their potential. January 22-24, 2020, Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Register now to attend Canada's largest HR conference & trade show hrpaconference.ca POWER UP HR

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