Arizona To Consider Adding PTSD To Medical Marijuana Quallifications

The General

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The Arizona Department of Health Services has scheduled a public hearing on a petition to add post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to the list of qualifying conditions for under the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. A public hearing on the petition filed by the Greene Consulting Group in conjunction with the Arizona Cannabis Nurses Association will be held Tuesday, October 29, 2013 in Phoenix.

The hearing will be held at the Department of Health Services building, located at 250 North 17th Avenue in Phoenix. In addition, written testimony can be submitted before October 29 through the Department of Health Services website. Post-traumatic stress syndrome is an anxiety disorder that is estimated to impact some eight million Americans annually, and is especially common among military veterans and victims of violent crimes, such as rape.

To date, there are no pharmaceutical treatments specifically designed or approved to target symptoms of PTSD, but five states – Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, New Mexico, and Oregon – explicitly allow for the use of medical marijuana to treat symptoms of post-traumatic stress. A 2012 Department of Veterans Affairs report found that 239,174 veterans suffer from PTSD. In a study released this year, the VA reported a 20 percent increase in suicides among veterans since 2007, with an average of 22 veterans committing suicide each day.

"Our Arizona veterans and other Arizona residents afflicted with PTSD deserve nothing less," said Heather Manus, a registered nurse who heads the Arizona Cannabis Nurses Association. Manus added that current pharmaceutical options to treat PTSD are ineffective, and come with the risk of many dangerous side effects, including an increased risk of suicide.

By adding post-traumatic stress disorder to Arizona's medical marijuana program, veterans and civilians suffering from PTSD will have a safer, natural option to treat their symptoms. The petition to add post-traumatic stress disorder to Arizona's medical marijuana program received unanimous support from the Arizona Dispensary Association.

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Source: Thedailychronic.net
Author: Scott Gacek
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Website: Arizona to Consider Adding PTSD to Medical Marijuana Quallifications
 
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