POT WAS INSURED

Medical Marijuana Is Covered

REGINA -- Saskatchewan Government Insurance has received a claim for a
supply of marijuana stolen from a home. The claim may be the first of
its kind since new federal rules governing the use of medical
marijuana came into effect last summer.

"If you have home insurance and it's a medical supply, there would be
coverage," said government insurance spokesman Earl Cameron.

"It's no different than prescription drugs. Legal property is covered,
and illegal property is not."

There are about 600 approved medical marijuana users across the
country who buy the plant or seeds from Health Canada. Ottawa started
selling federally approve pot last July to those people at a much
lower price than is available on the street.

The replacement cost of the stolen marijuana -- and whether the
claimant would be paid out in cash or kind -- depends on the
individual's insurance policy, Cameron said.

As with all marijuana for medical use, any replacement weed would have
to be bought through Health Canada.

'No Difference'

Dave MacLean, provincial director of the Canadian Taxpayers
Federation, said his organization takes no issue with insurance
covering a licensed user's supply.

"If it's a prescribed drug, technically there's no difference between
that and any other prescription drug," he said. "An insurance claim is
an insurance claim."

But Marcus Davies, communications director for the Saskatchewan
Medical Association, said the theft proves what his agency has been
saying for a long time.

"This actually bears out one of the issues we raised in the first
place, the dangers of placing an illegal substance in the hands of a
physician or at a physician's office," said Davies.

"Providing a substance that there is a large black market demand for
is creating a target."