A human rights board has determined a Nova Scotia man's prescribed medical marijuana must be covered by his employee insurance plan, a ruling advocates say will likely have impact nationwide. In a decision Thursday, inquiry board chair Benjamin Perryman concluded that since medical marijuana requires a prescription by law, it doesn't fall within the exclusions of Skinner's insurance plan. "Denial of his request for coverage of medical marijuana ... amounts to a prima facie case of discrimination," the ruling states. Anand said he knew of one other instance where an insurance company agreed to cover medical marijuana — for University of Waterloo student Jonathan Zaid in 2015. For his part, Skinner said the human rights ruling has lifted a large weight from his shoulders.

Source: CBC News February 03, 2017 02:16 UTC