Okanagan veteran jumping through hoops to obtain medical CBD
Chris Nuessler has access to all the CBD oil he wants, but the Summerland man insists he shouldn't have to jump through government hoops to obtain it for free.
Nuessler, 68, is a veteran. He was an RCMP officer for 24 years. He was also a soldier, serving time in Yugoslavia and Haiti. Nuessler retired after being diagnosed with PTSD.
He started using CBD oil eight years ago to help him cope with the affects of his diagnosis and now runs a Cannabis store in Summerland with his wife Elaine.
Nuessler uses his own store product, but has to pay for it.
"The regulations are that I have to buy my CBD at cost and no less," Nuessler said.
Nuessler admits he has a number of options to obtain free CBD through other avenues including private clinics, but has decided to go through Veterans Affairs to prove a point.
"It's a cumbersome system," he said.
Nuessler has started doing the paperwork to obtain his free CBD through Veterans Affairs but has already run into a roadblock with his doctor.
"He doesn't recognize it as a medicine," Nuessler said. He adds that he doesn't need a prescription but rather a requisition which would help his application with Veterans Affairs go smoother.
"All (the doctor) has to do is sign a piece of paper to allow me to get it through Veterans Affairs. I don't think these (doctors) have any clear direction from the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons," he said.
Nuessler is also suspect of the price Veterans Affairs is charging the federal government for Cannabis and CBD issued to veterans. He said Veterans Affairs is soaking the federal government.
"They certainly over price everything. As soon as you put (CBD and cannabis) in the medical realm, it's almost double the price."
Nuessler estimates that it's costing him roughly $80 a month to purchase his own CBD.
He said it has been a life saver.
Nuessler suffered a stroke not too long ago and made an immediate recovery. Doctors recommended he take Aspirin to help thin his blood. Nuessler said he's going to stick with his CBD.
"I recovered in three hours and I think it was the CBD that I've been taking as a maintenance dose for the last eight years," he said.
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