The use of cannabis and cannabinoids appears to mitigate symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a new review of clinical and preclinical evidence published online in the scientific journal Drug Testing and Analysis.
An international team of investigators from Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom reported that the use of cannabis to “dramatically reduced” PTSD symptoms in a single 19-year-old male patient.
Authors reported: “In the case report presented in this review, the patient displayed a grave pathology involving anxiety, dissociation and heavy flashbacks as a consequence of PTSD. … The patient stated that he found cannabis more useful than lorazepam. … It is evident from the case history that the patient experienced reduced stress, less involvement with flashbacks and a significant decrease of anxiety.”
Authors further cited “accumulating clinical and preclinical evidence that cannabinoids may mitigate some major symptoms associated with PTSD.”
They concluded: “Cannabis may dampen the strength or emotional impact of traumatic memories through synergistic mechanisms that might make it easier for people with PTSD to rest or sleep and to feel less anxious and less involved with flashback memories. … Evidence is increasingly accumulating that cannabinoids might play a role in fear extinction and anti-depressive effects. It is concluded that further studies are warranted in order to evaluate the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids in PTSD.”
Last year, administrators at the United States Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) blocked investigators at the University of Arizona at Phoenix from conducting an FDA-approved, placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the use of cannabis in 50 patients with PTSD.
Under federal law, any clinical trial evaluations involving cannabis must receive NIDA approval because the agency is the only source of legal cannabis for FDA-approved research purposes. In 2010, a spokesperson for the agency told The New York Times: “[O]ur focus is primarily on the negative consequences of marijuana use. We generally do not fund research focused on the potential beneficial medical effects of marijuana.”
This quote is just wrong. “[Our focus is primarily on the negative consequences of marijuana use. We generally do not fund research focused on the potential beneficial medical effects of marijuana.” Why would they only look for negative things? Shouldn’t it be the other way around like with everything else?
I’m callin’ it. 2014: New Era for Medical Marijuana.
It allows you some emotional distance from those horrible spiraling thoughts, they don’t suck you in. It does work.
It would seem it’s time to for NIDA to reassess its focus.
so in other words, NIDA says that they are going to only look at one side of the coin.
sounds very objective….
in counterpoint to my own arguement, they are the National Institute on Drug Abuse. so of course they are going to look at all the negative aspects…..
but in counter point to my counter point; wouldn’t they want to study the drug as a whole in order to get a full picture of the thing globally so they can better learn how to fight addiction?
alas, i suppose that would make too much sence…
It speaks volumes about American science that one has to go outside America to do scientific research into marijuana and PTSD. If creationists had the power to block Americans from conducting research into human evolution, American scientists would be rioting in the streets. How sad that American scientists allow the drug war bureaucracy to have their way with science. It’s disgusting that this corrupt situation is allowed to persist.
I am a veteran of 2 tours to iraq and i suffer from PTSD and chronic back pain, and i am in the process of receiving compensation but the pills they give me and the substance abuse classes do nothing for me at all, i didnt start smoking marijuana until 2009 when i got off active duty and came back home to south carolina and it does more for me than any pill or class and i want to know what more could i do in the state of south carolina where marijuana is illegal by all means. i support legalization for medicinal marijuana and recreational use but i can honestly say marijuana has changed my life for the better and especially for my back pain and PTSD it helps me function when nothing else does, so whatever i can do to help south carolina even think about legalizing i will do my part cause im tired of going through drug dealers for my medication.
I know it help’s me a great deal with my PTSD after two tours in Iraq. Works to alleviate the depression, anger, and the anxiety issues.
The good news here is that the American drug war bureaucracy may be able to corrupt and control American science, but it cannot corrupt and control science all over the world.
Another issue I have is I doubt anyone is asking NIDA to fund the research… only allow it. I’m sure there are plenty of organizations out there willing to support solid medical exploration if self-serving government bureaucracies weren’t an obstacle. If NIDA’s sole function is harm-seeking research we should have another institute that functions as the other side of that coin in order to gain all possible knowledge. Having a single group serve the solitary role as gatekeeper to any knowledge is guaranteed to corrupt them, as we can all clearly see. In an intelligent and high-functioning civilization we’d have an academy focused on knowing all aspects of everything rather than just what is needed for political jockeying. Sure would be nice to see that before my number’s up.
Gotta love politics.
I personally have PTSD, and cannabis is the only treatment that works. I have tried everything from lorazepam to prozac, nothing has been more helpful in alleviating symptoms than cannabis.
It doesn’t matter what the truth is as long as the right wing is determined to ignore the evidence. There is too much bad blood from the brutality of past enforcement to allow for the enemies of legalization to forgive and apologize. i.e. to admit that the law has been wrong is to much for certain hard line law authorities to consider.
Think about it. If they are opposed to affordable health care for all Americans, then they are also opposed to making it easier for stressed people to find relief from smoking marijuana as a medicine as well.
they do not really give a crap about the welfare of others, they only care about lining their own pockets with gold and enslaving the poor to work as cheaply as possible while controlling their lives as much as possible.
Send the poor off to war, allow them to come up with PTSD, and do not heal them if the cure is what the soldiers in Vietnam commonly used to find relief from the hell of war.
It would seem it’s time to for NIDA to reassess its EXISTENCE.
Cannibas helped me to heal from being struck head on by a car one night going 40 mph without breaking or slowing down while I was walking one night. I became airborn and landed in the middle of a six lane highway with my leg below the knee seperated except attached by skin with bone sticking out and all, a main artery severed and spilling out blood. I crushed in the whole front of the 93 buick and paralyzed alot of my right arm (dominant)to the point of total wrist drop and everything. After 5 years of smoking tons of chronic daily I have 99% recovered and the other 1% is on its way. I can run faster then ever, I can do martial arts of all forms better then ever, I can play speed metal on guitar(total death and black) faster then ever and yes I have recovered my right arm and hand from paralysis. There was alot of psychotic mental trauma to endure after this accident but I came back tenfold. I haven’t been diagnosed with ptsd but this is my story and I would love to hear others!
@six gun sheri
That’s good to hear. It’s good to tell us about your personal experience with it. It reveals the true depth of drug war cruelty.
Cannabis*;)
I know for a fact that cannabis helps with PTSD. I suffered sexual abuse as a child and it followed me right into my adult life. When I got in the army and was exposed to cannbis my life changed. I became outgoing and personable. The flash backs and nightmares vanished as long as I used cannabis. Without cannabis these abuses creep back into my life even now. I have a diagnosis from the VA as well as being bi-polar. Cannabis gets me thru and keeps me sane. I will tesitfy this before anyone at anytime.
I’ve been a psychotherapist for 32 years, most of which I’ve worked with trauma patients. The cannabis users have done consistently better than the others, so long as they abstained from using alcohol concurrently. Since it’s illegal for psychotherapists to recommend any herb, I didn’t. I just worked with what my clients presented and noticed the differences between them. As I learned more about therapeutic applications of cannabis, I was able to guide the cannabis users in my practise toward valid information on strains, routes of administration and timing so they could get the most therapeutic value while minimizing unwanted issues.
Cannabis is of great value in mitigating PTSD symtoms as well as a host of other psychological issues. In my experience, the rap about cannabis causing psychosis is pure balderdash. I even set my state-sanctioned license to practice aside and hung up a shingle for an herbal apothecary instead. At this point, we focus of legal aromatherapy interventions instead of cannabis, but we frequently guide clients to collectives for their cannabis and then help them monitor their progress.
I find it unsupportable that psychotherapeutic professional groups blindly follow government dictates, that are straight out of Reefer Madness, rather than look for themselves at what works and what doesn’t. Clearly, the currently prescribed psychotropics for PTSD create far more problems than they solve. In fact, the only problem most of them resolve is the bottom-lines of their pharmaceutical manufacturers.
It is a sad state of affairs for science and clinical practise. We must persevere though. This herb, and many others carry the potential of healing the wounds we so readily inflict on ourselves and our planet.
As a 100% disabled veteran with chronic PTSD, I have taken cannabis for many years because it does give relief from PTSD symptoms very well. I also have told ALL of my doctors at the VA medical centers that I do take it.
I have asked all of the vet organization, like VFW, etc. to help get the VA to do the research on cannabis and PTSD. Every one of the veteran’s organizations has refused to help us vets.
If the vet orgs refuse to help veterans who else can we turn to? I will contact anyone.
Any ideas?
Israel gives cannabis to it’s military for PTSD, and their research shows that it helps.
Me thinks that NIDA and the DEA are bedfellows… Both are totally anti-marijuana and neither has any good reason to be that way aside from the funding they get to keep it that way!
At least, that’s the way it seems to me… 🙁
We only fund things which perpetuate the lies. After all, if drugs were legal, we would be out of a job !
It amazes me how very intellegent people claim that the lack of scientific evidence of the use and attributes of cannibis is a good reason for its prohibition when it is the governemnt’s door shutting and threats that keep the accumulation of evidence from happening.
These people who are the leaders of the dea and shit are bad/evil people who would wage this war just to make us feel bad. That’s their ONLY pleasure (trying to destroy good things). They’re waging this war just to satisfy their egos. False egos at that. Don’t be surprised what they might do.
Institutional Education Failure from the “We can’t trust those evil scientists that want to learn about stuff” crowd. The right of the right that aways manages to somehow be wrong.
Creationist are already getting some state governments to swap out education in place of legends from 1,000’s of years ago–like crap from the Sci-Fi channel is being taught along side of real science now and it is up to the kids to figure out BS from real evidence but without the mental tools to do so.
Yup, it stops the night terrors completely and helps with the day to day. We can choose how we die, but we can’t choose how we live. Crazy world.
I have PTSD and have used marijuana to alleviate my symptoms for years. It works beautifully for me. Legalize it!
The DEA never recognizes any medical research on cannabis no matter how credible and professional the test are.
The DEA wants to supply the cannabis and also have full control of the test results.
On cannabis issues, the DEA = FDA.
i am a combat vet with ptsd and have been using marijuana to treat my condition. my main problems are sleeping, flashbacks, anger, and anxiety. i’ve been dealing with this for 7 yrs now and using marijuana has significantly dampened or dulled the triggers and symptoms. i strongly believe that if i did not start using marijuana i would either be in jail or dead by now
I have had PTSD for over forty years from MARIJUANA PROHIBITION and living under a POLICE STATE created by FEDERALISM and enforced by the 21ST CENTURY INQUISITORS of the DEA. We should not live in fear of the government, but they sure do fear us. HAIL TO THE MONARCHY!
Does the FDA accept any research they have not monitored/conducted on matters other than cannabis ? If so (I can’t believe they don’t) then you have a good line of argument to ask them why they only apply this policy to cannabis.
…Interesting to see how they justify that one
The Drug Czar of course said the exact opposite – that NIDA is doing everything it can to find safe and effective uses for cannabis. But of course the drug czar’s job is to lie! In addition, one clause applied to plants or drugs listed as Schedule One is no research is permitted to find positive uses, as such plants or drugs only get to Schedule One (in theory) based on the fact – FACT I said, that they are extremely addictive, medicinally useless and dangerous. Schedule One is a “Black Hole” the gov’t created intentionally, so that plants especially like cannabis would go away. It’s a black hole like our prison system, designed to put away over 60% of our citizens – so they will just go away too. In the Grand Scheme of Things, life is simple! Let Big Pharma produce your medicines, go to church and drink plenty of alcohol. Stop asking about marijuana as after all we, your government has spent telling lies and busting people, we’re not about to turn around and admit we were wrong. That’s why we have a Schedule One – end of story.
I am a one year veteran in the war in Viet Nam and a 44 year veteran of the war on marijuana and I use marijuana for ptsd from both.
Lots of good posts here. I love it when people are not afraid to tell their stories and uses of cannabis. The DEA has one objective. To put you in jail. The NIDA has no usefull pourpose as I see it. The CDC is just as bad and so is the DHS. The CDC lied to America about AIDS and HCV so why should anyone listen to these goverment agencies. They are only funded by your tax dollars. But after the US gets your tax dollars you have no control over it. The only chance we have to get cannabis legal is to vote out the people who will not listen and vote in those who support us in our cause. Yet less than 2/3rds of eligible voters do so. I kinda figure its our fault for not being more invovled. If there is no voter registration card in your wallet then you may as well have a gag in your mouth. VOTE EM OUT! The election gets closer each day. Just think about it,,,,,,,,,,Peace
I ask only a few questions. Why are Large Pharma allowed to push pills out into the public without this much governmental interference. Why arn’t Large Pharma responsible an why arn’t they shut down for killing civilians? I know of family friends that when he comes in town i bring the bubbler out for him. He is a Nam Vet that did some things that probably could get our country in trouble for but it was orders from above so they went in anyways. To get back to it he doesn’t talk much about what happened over there but when he inhales cannabis I can see the relaxation wash over his face. Thats a wonderful thing when you can help mentor someone back into civilian life after a tramtic set of events. He has been opening up more about what happened and talking about it and relating to what i would do in that situation really makes them feel humble.
Robert,,and all,,support Johnson/Gray of the Libertarian Party in the polls,,regardless of your intended vote,,it puts the war on drugs into this election debates,,if we don’t,the Republican’ts and Democunts will never mention it.
I think all these military service members who posted on here have earned the right to decide what’s best for them. NIDA needs to step out of the way of progress
this is just way in your face!!!!!! they wont step down until we bring em out behind they’re desks and we can actually sit face to face instead of having all these peeps to go through to get to the man behind the desk,,,,,,, NAMSTAE
Ok for those of you who can’t or won’t stop the destruction of God’s garden , so shall your crops be destroyed. Stop fighting God and among each other because you will lose. No matter how we look at it 2+2=4 always.
Hello, My name is David Sutton and I have to say I respect what you are all doing. I am not sure if this will even reach anyone but I feel the need to at the least say something. I joined the armed services in 2001 and got out in 2007. I served as a reservist for one year, and after the events of 9-11 I joined active duty for a six year term. Before I went in, I was happy and healthy. We they got done with me, they shipped me all over the world. I now have severe back issues, ringing in my ears and thoughts and emotions that were not there before I joined. The insane amount of prescription drugs were dizzying, no pun intended. The medications either altered my dreams, forcing me to witness things no human should ever! They seem so vivid and real.. I had a dream that I walked into some house, and a lady was pushing her baby down a garbage disposal.. After what seemed like an hour of being frozen, I woke up screaming.. Or have you ever been chased by gigantic rattlesnake through the dessert? This is just the beginning. There were times I would kneel on my floor with a sword tip resting in my belly button contemplating the pros and cons to pulling it through my torso. I am a Christian man, and fully believe that Jesus Christ came here and lived a pure life and payed the ultimate price for my personal salvation, and that was the ONLY thing that would stop me.
Yes, I have smoked pot before and I honestly don’t like how it makes me feel. However, compared to the very few times I have actually taken the drugs the VA offers, I am able to operate and not sit wondering why the pain is still there, but I feel like a zombie, so it shouldn’t still be hurting. I have a never ending supply of Oxycontin, which I have not filled a prescription sense I got out of the service. My doctor on base would make me take home all these drugs and I would tell him “Sir, you know I am not going to take these” and he would tell me that he has to give them to me, and what I did with them was my own decision. I have never been arrested or been to a jail/lock up of any sort, EVER! I have two speeding tickets that were no more than ten mph or the limit, one when I was 18, and one when I was 28. If I was a bad person, I would fill these prescriptions and sell them and make A LOT of money. But I do not, I refuse to have that poison in my body, let alone in my house! I drink alcohol maybe ten times a year at best. I love life, and I don’t look for avenues to alter my perception of it.
Our country is so backwards. Here is a good example! Uncle Sam will send you all over the world (pardon my language) to “blow shit up”, but here in Ohio if you get caught letting off “real” fireworks, you go to jail. Here, take all these drugs that may or may not make you want to kill yourself, the other side effects are possibly really bad, and you may have dreams that seem so real you go ripping through your house because you think there is a gigantic snake trying to eat you, but it should help with the pain and nullify the crushing emotions that you get because you were put into situations that human beings are not meant to be in! Oh and the injury sustained during war to your lower spine while you was in war can be fixed with a titanium plate, a life time of drugs that do all the above, loss of motion, a chance you will not be able to get or maintain an erection and no guarantee the pain will go away, how does that sound? Did I mention that when I walk sometimes my legs give out because there is permanent damage to my sciatic nerves?
We need help, please legalize the medicinal use for marijuana. So many people say “Oh I smoke weed all the time and its great” its not a recreation drug, so stop making it sound like “tons of fun”. All those people (in my opinion) look/act like children who just hit 21 and can go into a bar for the first time. I am 32 years of age, and sit in constant pain because I refuse to live life consumed by pills. I hate them, and the only thing that actually help is illegal. I need help, we need help. This is a real issue, and needs to be pushed. I give you and anyone else full rights to post this in any forum, blog and any other medium you see fit. If you must, blur or alter my name but I would prefer if you did not. All other information is to stay EXACTLY as I wrote it! This is my one attempt to use the voice I fought for.
Thank you for your time,
David R. Sutton Jr
Please leave religion out of it because you may differ from others knowledge..
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I’m a week late here, but wanted to submit my thoughts. I grew up with an alcoholic father and eatched him slowly die when i was 12. From this i have intrusive thoughts, nightmares, and crippling anxiety in certain situations. Marijuana has helped me deal with this for the past 30 years. As someone said in an above post: IT WORKS!!! It’s just a plant.
I grew up in hellishly dysfunctional alcoholic family and I had terrible PTSD.
I consumed a great deal of cannabis and it was extremely helpful. It helped me to recover and get to the point where I was healthy enough and together enough to get married and start a family.
The ironic thing is that at that very point, my family joinned a gang stalking group, slandered me behind my back to justify them getting bribes to poison me and this has been going on for the last 15 years !
Police cannot seem to be bothered!
So after fifteen years of being poisoned, I am not sure I am ever going to get back to the point I was before and these criminals all got away with their publicly committed crime!
Not sure there is enough weed in the Universe to undo 15 years of being publicly poisoned ( in the land of the free ).
Psyc at the VA said I had been self medicating for PTSD since childhood. Ended up an alcoholic then heroin addict before I figured it out. Marijuana helped me get off of both and cigarretts ! Only use pot for the PTSD and chronic pain from degenerative disc disease. Psyc said to keep doing what I’m doing and if I needed to give them a call!!
I have PTSD from childhood abuse. With the help of medical marijuana, I was able to stop taking Lorazepam (which I became addicted to just taking it as prescribed) and I no longer have anxiety attacks and my flashbacks now barely happen. Medical marijuana is a wonderful tool for people with PTSD.
I was diagnosed with similar – PTSD, Depression and anxiety… my psychologist wrong a letter recommending marijuana but unfortunately in NH it’s still not recognized for treatment of PTSD. When I do have opportunity to use it sometimes I get very anxious… however, this is because I’m normally locked inside of myself, or I can’t select the bud that works for me. From age 20 to 50 I had regular access and I thrived… now without it my depression is worsening, and I’m quite unmotivated. Going on 8 years. I’ve been prescribed nearly all the anti-depressants available and they either don’t work or the side effects are terrible. As my psychologist pointed out, few side effects to cannabis, and I deserve the opportunity to live a good life. However at this point both my doctor who’s opposed and the federal government feel if one needs pot to be healthy, it’s the individual with the problem, not the lack of drugs! I’m a throw-away person. There’s lots of us in the world where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is for others… those who take their pills and are thankful. The rest of us can rot in hell as the feds will not, for any reason, look beyond the hypocrisy of their own ignorance and money made making victims out of many good people.