Pubdate: Sat, 21 Jun 2014
Source: Houston Chronicle (TX)
Copyright: 2014 Houston Chronicle Publishing Company Division
Contact:  http://www.chron.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/198
Page: B6

WORTH EXPLORING

If Cannabis Works, We Owe Our Veterans Access to This PTSD Treatment
Option.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, plagues many veterans in this
country. The depression, anxiety and flashbacks typical of this
disorder can make vets' adjustment back to civilian life difficult.

Some veterans say that marijuana helps alleviate symptoms of the
disorder and may pose fewer long-term health risks than present
treatment options such as opioid painkillers, antidepressants and
sleeping pills. Some experts agree. "Legalizing cannabis for medical
use won't restore missing limbs or heal skin scarred by fire, but it
can help wounded veterans live a more normal life," William Martin,
director of the drug policy program at Rice University's Baker
Institute for Public Policy, maintains. Yet, right now in Texas, a vet
who is suffering from PTSD and who uses marijuana to self-medicate is
committing a crime.

After years of resistance, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has
agreed to a study at the University of Arizona College of Medicine to
assess marijuana's potential for treating post-traumatic stress
disorder in veterans. We agree that more scientific research is needed
as to the therapeutic effects of cannabinoids.

If it's scientifically proven to be effective, as a country and as a
state we owe our vets access to this treatment option.

Different states provide a smorgasbord of models for how to allow
access to qualifying patients. California, the first state to legalize
the use of marijuana for medical patients with the recommendation of a
California-licensed physician, has gained a reputation for
inconsistent regulations. New Mexico has developed a stricter model.
According to one expert, it would be easier to obtain marijuana
illegally than it is to game the New Mexico system and receive a
prescription for marijuana based on a PTSD diagnosis.

Today, there are legally incorporated companies selling marijuana for
medical use. We have figured out how to distinguish vendors legally
selling marijuana from the drug cartels. We should be able to figure
out how to distinguish vets who need help from other users and
establish a regulatory model that works.

Texans have responded to calls for military service. Some have
sacrificed their lives. Some wounds of returning vets are visible.
Some are not. Too many succumb to PTSD and take their own lives. Our
veterans deserve our help to regain the lives that they enjoyed prior
to their service.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt