Marijuana & PTSD: A veteran talks about the benefits

 @Paul E. Peirsel MD An enlightened medical approach to this therapy is despirately needed.

The chemical that is responsible for marihuana's effect is THC. It is available in a "legal" pharmaceutical called Marinol. You can obtain this legally with a prescription in every state, however, it costs over 8$ a pill. It is the only drug that has been declassified to a lower DEA classification, now allowing refills.

 

 I know of no one who has died of an overdose of marihuana or Marinol. Alcohol and other drugs can be fatal and often produce suicidal ideation. Many of the drugs on advertised on TV can produce fatal side effects including suicide. We promote their use through ubiquitous advertisement.

 

In this age of violence and death, should we not use a medication that can defuse the explosions that these men, through no fault of their own, are capable of. War dehumanizes our young people. Is it not wise to promote something that has few side effects and that might reduce the suffering of both our returning soldiers and those they might harm.

 

We need to move on to an enlightened approach to what harms us. We need to better define the "enemy" in an effort called the "War on Drugs", increasingly recognized as a failure. In our effort to reduce violence in the world, looking at our overall experience with chemicals that affect the mind should be a priority. Side effect profiles of all  medications should undergo close scrutiny and objective wisdom applied.                            

 

Paul E. Peirsel MD