Canada’s largest private-sector union aims to include medical cannabis coverage in collective bargaining agreements
Unifor has partnered with Aleafia Health on a long-term medical cannabis agreement.
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Unifor has announced that it has entered into a long-term partnership with Aleafia Health in an effort to secure medical cannabis coverage for its members.
Unifor will work with its membership to include medical cannabis coverage in collective bargaining agreements while Aleafia will provide access to its medical cannabis products, education and physician-led consultations, according to a news release.
“This is a landmark agreement, with a union and a medical cannabis company coming together to provide dedicated support through medical marijuana clinics across the country while challenging the stigmas associated with cannabis,” Jerry Dias, Unifor national president, says in the statement. “Partnering with Aleafia Health allows us to fight against Canada’s opiate crisis, and improve the lives of patients suffering from chronic pain,” Dias adds.
In September, Cannalogue, a health and technology company, began circulating a petition calling for national medical cannabis coverage for “disadvantaged groups such as seniors, those with disabilities and individuals below the poverty line.”
In a statement, Gerald Major, president and board chair of Medical Cannabis Canada, formerly Canadians for Fair Access to Marijuana, said at the time that the costs associated with medical cannabis are a barrier to access. “There is an unmet need for patients to receive expanded access to insurance coverage for their treatment,” Major said.
Unifor notes that increased access to medical cannabis coverage could result in cost savings and health benefits to both members and employers, as well as a reduction in traditional pharmaceutical prescriptions. Final details are still to come and the closing transaction has not yet been approved by each company’s board of directors.
“This is a significant moment for the cannabis industry and an important breakthrough for medical cannabis accessibility in Canada,” says Aleafia Health CEO Geoffrey Benic.
“Due to the progressive leadership of Unifor, and Aleafia Health’s well-earned reputation for providing excellence in cannabinoid therapy, we will be able to expand these benefits to union members across Canada,” Benic says.
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