The General
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has been around since war itself. Previously, it has been known as battle fatigue and shell shock among other things but it wasn't until recently that PTSD has come to the fore in diagnosis and treatment. Despite all of the advances made in recent years there is still a lot of work to be done. Every day 22 veterans commit suicide, a number that should alarm every American. It is estimated that 31 percent of Vietnam veterans and 20 percent of veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from the effects of PTSD. That means hundreds of thousands of American men and women grapple with the aftereffects of war on a daily basis. Many have turned to sleeping pills to try and get a good night's sleep. Others have turned to harder drugs and alcohol, leading to increased issues.
Many veterans who have PTSD have found that marijuana has been exactly what they need to live a normal life and sleep at night. However, it wasn't until last month that the federal government officially commissioned a study, to be done by the University of Arizona, to study whether or not pot could be an effective way of treating some cases of PTSD. Marijuana has been legalized in two states, Washington and Colorado and is cleared for medicinal purposes in several states including California and Maine. Eleven states have legalized marijuana to be used to treat PTSD: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Some states that have passed medical marijuana laws don't cover PTSD as an acceptable cause for a prescription. However, the federal government still classifies pot as a Schedule I substance with no medicinal purpose.
The University of Arizona study will hopefully allow the discussion to be brought to the forefront and allow veterans to finally come out of the shadows and achieve access to a drug they say helps their PTSD. There are several veterans groups dedicated to giving veterans with PTSD access to medicinal marijuana and they have had a huge impact on getting the federal government, and several state governments to recognize the ability of marijuana to treat PTSD.
Marijuana is also used to help ease chronic pain, something many veterans suffer from due wounds and injuries suffered in the line of duty. Veterans Administration hospitals dole out thousands upon thousands of prescriptions to treat pain every month. Sometimes the pills work, sometimes the pills don't. Anyone who lives with chronic pain knows it isn't just the pain that becomes the issue but the mental anguish that goes with it. Many veterans, and civilians, have found that a little intake of marijuana on a daily basis does more for both the mental anguish and the pain than doses of pain medication. There is also the cost. Prescriptions can be expensive and the Veterans Administration spends untold amounts of money on prescriptions for veterans in need of pain medication. Medical marijuana is a fraction of the cost of a bottle of pills and often has greater relief according to veterans who have tried both.
Many veterans, even without suffering from PTSD, already feel like they are isolated and fighting an uphill battle just to get by in civilian life. For those that find relief in marijuana they are driven deeper into the depths, forced there for finding comfort in a substance the government deems illegal. For those suffering from PTSD or from other illnesses it can make matters worse. Hopefully, this study by the University of Arizona comes up with some conclusive findings that can finally allow veterans to legally get the relief they so desperately seek. Nothing is worse than dealing with chronic pain or PTSD and finding out the only relief you get is deemed illegal by the very government you fought for.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Rantlifestyle.com
Author: Chris Gamble
Many veterans who have PTSD have found that marijuana has been exactly what they need to live a normal life and sleep at night. However, it wasn't until last month that the federal government officially commissioned a study, to be done by the University of Arizona, to study whether or not pot could be an effective way of treating some cases of PTSD. Marijuana has been legalized in two states, Washington and Colorado and is cleared for medicinal purposes in several states including California and Maine. Eleven states have legalized marijuana to be used to treat PTSD: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Some states that have passed medical marijuana laws don't cover PTSD as an acceptable cause for a prescription. However, the federal government still classifies pot as a Schedule I substance with no medicinal purpose.
The University of Arizona study will hopefully allow the discussion to be brought to the forefront and allow veterans to finally come out of the shadows and achieve access to a drug they say helps their PTSD. There are several veterans groups dedicated to giving veterans with PTSD access to medicinal marijuana and they have had a huge impact on getting the federal government, and several state governments to recognize the ability of marijuana to treat PTSD.
Marijuana is also used to help ease chronic pain, something many veterans suffer from due wounds and injuries suffered in the line of duty. Veterans Administration hospitals dole out thousands upon thousands of prescriptions to treat pain every month. Sometimes the pills work, sometimes the pills don't. Anyone who lives with chronic pain knows it isn't just the pain that becomes the issue but the mental anguish that goes with it. Many veterans, and civilians, have found that a little intake of marijuana on a daily basis does more for both the mental anguish and the pain than doses of pain medication. There is also the cost. Prescriptions can be expensive and the Veterans Administration spends untold amounts of money on prescriptions for veterans in need of pain medication. Medical marijuana is a fraction of the cost of a bottle of pills and often has greater relief according to veterans who have tried both.
Many veterans, even without suffering from PTSD, already feel like they are isolated and fighting an uphill battle just to get by in civilian life. For those that find relief in marijuana they are driven deeper into the depths, forced there for finding comfort in a substance the government deems illegal. For those suffering from PTSD or from other illnesses it can make matters worse. Hopefully, this study by the University of Arizona comes up with some conclusive findings that can finally allow veterans to legally get the relief they so desperately seek. Nothing is worse than dealing with chronic pain or PTSD and finding out the only relief you get is deemed illegal by the very government you fought for.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Rantlifestyle.com
Author: Chris Gamble
