Posted on Aug 22, 2016
The Army Surgeon General Won’t Endorse Marijuana Use For PTSD Treatment
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I'm glad to see its still outlawed in the Army. It ought to be outlawed in the entire Military Industry. There are other ways and medicines to treat PTSD. Why possibly, take a chance on the only thing Marijuana does, is give you lung problems, and other illnesses, nicotine can give you?
Lt. Gen. Nadja Y. West, the Army Surgeon General, on Thursday was wary of endorsing the first trials approved by the government for using marijuana to treat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
West noted she was an Army officer and the military still considers marijuana an illegal substance despite growing public support for its decriminalization. If service members test positive for marijuana, they can be subject to a “wide range of actions,” she said.
Lt. Gen. Nadja Y. West, the Army Surgeon General, on Thursday was wary of endorsing the first trials approved by the government for using marijuana to treat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
West noted she was an Army officer and the military still considers marijuana an illegal substance despite growing public support for its decriminalization. If service members test positive for marijuana, they can be subject to a “wide range of actions,” she said.
The Army Surgeon General Won’t Endorse Marijuana Use For PTSD Treatment
Posted from taskandpurpose.com
Marijuana
PTSD
Posted >1 y ago
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I do believe they need to do legitimate studies on cannabis for PTS and other ailments. Keeping it scheduled as a schedule 1 narcotic won't allow for this. There are plenty of Veterans who use it with far more success and far fewer side effects than pharmaceuticals. If it does work for someone, it should be treated like anything else, not on duty. If any of the substances have an effect on your ability to do your job, drive, operate equipment, etc., you shouldn't use it on duty or while in transit to and from. What this will require is a better ability to test for the THC, as it may stay in your system for an extended period of time, its effect on cognitive/reflex skills diminishes almost as quickly as any other "substance". As for the lung damage, there are many different ways of using cannabis, other than smoking it. Just giving it a blanket "NO" isn't helping anyone.
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SFC (Join to see)
SGT (Join to see) - why would you make the assumption Veterans who use cannabis to manage pain or PTS wouldn't or couldn't have the same level or self control you demonstrate with prescription pain meds? Availability? Studies have shown there is far less likelihood to develop an addiction to cannabis than there is to opiates. I can hit almost any corner in any town and score opiates. It's not hard (but heroin is cheaper which leads to a whole new can of worms). Hell, the VA sends me 60 pain killers a month, even when I don't ask for them. Yes, it is easy to become addicted to painkillers, especially if you have a doctor who isn't paying attention. You begin developing a resistance to them and your body needs more to manage the pain. If your doctor is paying attention or you talk to your doc (like I do), they change them up so this doesn't happen.
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SGT (Join to see)
SFC (Join to see), I'll admit I don't know much about Pot or Cannabis, or whatever it's called. But common sense should dictate it's not good for you in long term use. What you do with your pain pills is what should be done, but we know everyone isn't going to do that. In order for cannabis and pain medication to be used for pain, and not entertainment, it's going to be up to the user. The doctor should run blood tests every time a patient comes in, who's on pain meds and cannabis, to see how much is in their system. When I go see my doctor, every six months, I have to get labs first. In six months I could fake it when I go in. I don't know what the answer is. I keep coming back to being responsible, and mature enough to not abuse the drugs. That's the only way it will work for the good of the vet.
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SFC (Join to see)
SGT (Join to see) - the answer is just that -- personal responsibility. Personally, I say "if it works, let them use it". If they get the results needed from pharmaceuticals, great. If not, there needs to be an option, even an unorthodox one. I know Vets using cannabis for PTS and it works better for them than the prescriptions drugs do. I've known people who used it for the nausea and lack of hunger from chemo and it worked for them. I've known people who used it for pain management. There are far too many cases of it working, and far too many private studies showing the benefits of cannabis for it to be written off by the DEA or FDA because they're stuck on the b.s. propaganda campaigns from the 30s, 40s, and 50s.
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SGT (Join to see)
It's a personal preference SFC (Join to see). Who am I to say if it helps or not? I pointed out some negatives, but if it really helps, and they aren't addicted, go fur it.
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Pretty sure there needs to be some actual studies done soon, as I have heard it is beneficial
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SGT (Join to see)
I've heard that too SrA Chris "Shadow" McGee. As an ex smoker, I wouldn't be interested in participating. I think it woul do more harm to me, than good.
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SrA Chris "Shadow" McGee
As a lifelong non smoker, I wouldn't be interested either, but if it going to help someone who is willing to use it, they need to get it studied and approved. I would hate for anyone to have to deal with side effects of pills if they don't have to.
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SGT (Join to see)
That's true also, SrA Chris "Shadow" McGee. I'm writing about the military, not civilians. If they go to the VA and that's where their meds come from, they can have their meds changed until they find one they can tolerate. My PTSD problems weren't being resolved with the first script I was given. After two more tries, I found one that helps without any side effects. Another med was a statin. I ached all over in terrible pain. I looked up side effects of a statin, and they make you feel like you have the flu. I got another med without statin, but did the same thing, and no more problems. If pain pills are being abused, either by the doctor or the patient, there's no excuse for that.
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SFC (Join to see)
Smoking isn't the only way to get the benefits of cannabis. Plenty of cancer patients are using it as an edible or a tea to increase their appetite while undergoing chemo or to get the calming effects for PTS or anxiety. I know most of us have the mental image of people passing a joint around in a dimly lit basement, or sitting around a water bong in the back of someone's old, beat up VW van, but this is what we were brought up to think of when we hear "so-in-so is using marijuana". For anything beneficial to happen in the studies of cannabis we have to get passed our "Reefer Madness" outlook on it.
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Neat discussion topic. I'm a bit weary of these studies done by the federal government on cannabis products because their conclusions seem to be largely incongruent with those of independent studies. It would be great if cannabis turned out to be a viable natural remedy for those suffering from PTSD because it's so affordable. I just hope that when it comes to finding suitable and effective medical treatment for the needs of our Soldiers, we keep an open mind.
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PO1 Richard Cormier
WHAT studies? The last "study" the Government did, that I know of, was when they produce the film in the 50's or 60's. Since then they have said it does NOT have any medical uses and is illegal for Dr's to treat therefore they can NOT do studies.
They did however do studies with LSD on servicemen in the 60's and determined they MIGHT want to use it on enemy but it is too dangerous.
They did however do studies with LSD on servicemen in the 60's and determined they MIGHT want to use it on enemy but it is too dangerous.
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SFC (Join to see)
PO1 Richard Cormier - ah, "Reefer Madness". The end all of cannabis research. Made in a era claiming by this time in our history we would all have our own flying car, humanoid robots in our homes, and would only work 2 days per week because everything would be so easy and/or automated.
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