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Rob Sipes

I was a medic as well for 26 years. I wore the Navy uniform, spent 10 years on ships and 16 years with the Army as a medic. I served overseas in 91. I did a world cruise and served in the Gulf War for 10 and a half months. And I served in in 1994 as a medic with the engineers doing demining.

 What happens when veterans turn to medical cannabis after conventional treatments leave them exhausted, foggy or still unable to sleep? Former Canadian Armed Forces medics Natalie Forcier and Rob Sipes share how PTSD, chronic pain, anxiety, nightmares, and service-related injuries shaped their journeys with medicinal cannabis. Together with cannabis nurse Kala Knudslien, Natalie and Rob discuss administration routes like cannabis gummies, oils, creams, and other non-inhaled products. Then they get into how various cannabinoids like CBD, CBN, CBG, and lower-dose THC, cannabis tolerance effect their individualized care. Natalie also explains how non-intoxicating cannabis topicals can help cautious veterans and first responders reconsider medical cannabis as a pain-management option. The conversation also examines Veterans Affairs Canada cannabis coverage, including the three-gram daily limit, reimbursement reductions and the widening gap between recreational and medical cannabis prices. It raises important questions about access, veteran advocacy and whether commercial interests are influencing Canada’s medical cannabis system. Listen now to hear two veterans speak candidly about PTSD, sleep, pain, cannabis education and the struggle to access the care and benefits they earned through service.