Veterans Turning to Medical Cannabis Over Alcohol or Prescription Drugs

2019-06-12• CATEGORIES: Anxiety Disorders, Brain Trauma, Cannabinoids, Legalization, Mental Illness, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), Research

If there is a single group of people in the United States that deserves the full support of the American government and the American people it is veterans of the military. Many U.S. veterans forced to deal with the trauma of war have little to expect when they return home other than to have to cope with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and to be prescribed dangerous and addictive medications to treat the condition’s devastating symptoms such as anxiety and depression.

How Cannabis May Be Able To Help

PTSD continues to wreak havoc on the veteran community as many former soldiers become addicted to prescription medications or alcohol and each day 22 veterans lose their lives to suicide. Turning the tides against PTSD begins with establishing safe and natural ways to treat the trauma associated with war. Alcohol and many prescription drugs are highly addictive and steal away the lives of veterans. According to some studies and many first-hand accounts from veterans, cannabis may be a safer alternative to treating PTSD-related anxiety and depression for some.

 

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@joerogan we caught podcast #1246 – Pot Debate, with @drmikehart and @alberen. We couldn’t agree more that no matter your opinion about marijuana more education is desperately needed, especially for those with false information. We are working to bring scientific based curriculum to mainstream education for doctors, nurses, patients and budtenders about medical marijuana use. Thanks for bringing an interesting discussion to the table on your show! #repost #joeroganexperience #joeroganpodcast @medicalmarijuana411 Jose Martinez, US Army infrantryman in Afghanistan, lost both legs, his right arm and left index finger after stepping on a land mine. Suffering from PTSD, doctors prescribed him pharmaceutical pills to treat the phantom pain of missing limbs, night terrors and anxiety. “I started taking so many prescription pills I was numb to the world.” Over time, he replaced the pills – over 150 a day – with marijuana. Now, Martinez fights for the ability of those suffering from PTSD to be able to use marijuana. #josemartinez #cannabis #medicalmarijuana411 #medicalmarijuana #pain #ptsd #ptsdawareness #posttraumaticstressdisorder #leavenosoldierbehind #military #veterans #heroes #womenincannabis

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Study: Veterans Replacing More Harmful Drugs With Cannabis

A study recently published by the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse found that, “Most of the sample reported using cannabinoids as a substitute for either alcohol, tobacco, prescription medications, or illicit substances, reported that they use cannabis frequently.”

Though the notion of replacing harmful substances like alcohol, tobacco, and many prescription medications seems on its face like a positive, the authors of the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse study cautioned that, “Results of the current study suggest that military Veterans with reduced barriers to access cannabis could be making both helpful and harmful choices regarding their cannabis use.” They add, “These findings suggest that more guidance on the selection of cannabis-based products in this population is warranted, particularly as barriers to medicinal cannabis access are reduced.”
The study shows that veterans themselves believe cannabis to be a safer alternative to alcohol and addictive medications but also warns that many veterans are not receiving professional medical advice on what cannabis products are the safest and most effective for the conditions they are suffering from. The study’s results suggest that doctors need to be educated on cannabis and its medicinal uses so that they can better treat the patients they see on a daily basis.

We Must Help Our Veterans In All Possible Ways

Veterans of the United States military deserve our deepest reverence and our greatest support. There are a number of ways that we can help. One of the ways the scientific and medical community may be able to support veterans is by studying cannabis. Studying the medicinal effects of cannabis are incredibly important steps towards determining if it can be a valuable tool in the winning the fight against PTSD, anxiety/depression, and veteran suicide. If cannabis truly can be of any help in combating these conditions plaguing our nation’s bravest men and women of the United States, it must be fully and completely understood.

TAGS: traumatic brain injury, Veterans
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