Student union is first in B.C. to cover medical cannabis under its health plan
Students at UBC’s Okanagan (UBCO) campus will soon be able to get medical cannabis covered by their student health insurance plan.
The university’s students’ union has approved a pilot project to test the coverage of medical cannabis starting Sept. 1, 2018. They are the second post-secondary students’ union in Canada to take this step.
In 2015, the students’ union at the University of Waterloo agreed to cover medical cannabis under its health plan.
“What we’re hoping ultimately is that it will improve the health and well-being of the student population by providing them with effective options for health care,” said UBCO psychology professor and cannabis researcher Zach Walsh, who is overseeing the pilot project.
Walsh said many medications are already covered under the health plan, and since cannabis is often prescribed by a physician and is recognized as a medicine, it should also be covered.
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Healthy Minds | Healthy Campuses is managed and coordinated on behalf of the BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information by CMHA BC
Core funding for the initiative is provided by BC Mental Health and Substance
Use Services with additional support from the BC Ministry of Health
