Characteristics of Canadian Veterans reimbursed for cannabis for medical purposes: Life After Service Survey 2016

Introduction: Cannabis is used to self-treat a wide range of symptoms and conditions. However, there is scarce information describing the characteristics of Canadian Veterans being reimbursed by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) for cannabis used for medical purposes (CMP). The objective of this study was to explore the demographic and military service characteristics and chronic conditions associated with CMP reimbursement of VAC clients responding to the 2016 Life After Service Survey (LASS). Methods: This study linked the VAC reimbursement information for CMP and data from the 2016 LASS. In total, 1,480 LASS survey participants were VAC clients and were included in this study. Both descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed to explore the population characteristics (46 demographic, military, and well-being variables) associated with CMP reimbursement. Results: Of the 1,480 VAC clients in this study, 72 were reimbursed for CMP. Of the 46 variables, 20 were significant. Several variables from different domains were associated with CMP reimbursement in the bivariate analysis: anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, bowel ulcer, traumatic brain injury, chronic pain, 12-Item Short Form Survey (SF-12) scores, psychological distress, suicidal ideation, requiring help with tasks, financial status, unemployment, low income, dissatisfaction with finances, and satisfaction with family members. Discussion: These results provide preliminary information on Canadian Veterans reimbursed for CMP. Further studies that can identify larger numbers of Veterans reimbursed for CMP are needed to further explore these characteristics with multivariate approaches.