People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who use marijuana experience fewer symptoms and recover more quickly compared to people who don\u2019t use cannabis, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs researcher said in a new podcast posted by the agency.<\/p>\n
Hal Wortzel, a VA forensic neuropsychiatrist, talked about the findings of an observational study he conducted during the recent interview. He also discussed how the ongoing federal prohibition on marijuana has impeded essential research.<\/p>\n
To learn how cannabis impacts PTSD, Wortzel\u2019s team tracked two groups over the course of several years: 75 people with the condition who said they use marijuana and 75 people with PTSD who don\u2019t consume cannabis. While there are limits to observational\u2014rather than experimental\u2014studies, he said the results provide further evidence that marijuana seems to have therapeutic benefits for certain populations.<\/p>\n
\nAn Observational Study of Cannabis and PTSD https:\/\/t.co\/YcNZFo2EP7<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 RockyMountain MIRECC (@RMIRECC) December 5, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
Specifically, people who said they use marijuana reported fewer \u201chyper arousal\u201d symptoms\u2014things like anxiously checking over one\u2019s shoulder or overreacting to loud sounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmong persons using marijuana for PTSD, relative to the group that was not using marijuana, we saw those folks using marijuana products get a little bit better more quickly, and they were about two and a half times more likely over the course of the study year to no longer meet criteria for PTSD than those folks who were not using marijuana products,\u201d Wortzel said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a finding that appears to be predominantly driven by what we call the hyper arousal symptoms of PTSD,\u201d he said<\/a>. \u201cThose sorts of symptoms appear to be most responsive to marijuana, at least in this investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Wortzel also told the podcast\u2014which is produced by VA\u2019s Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center\u2014that there should be a greater investment in controlled, experimental studies on marijuana\u2019s health impacts, but federal prohibition has impeded research.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the world of cannabis, because marijuana and marijuana products are still technically federally illegal, to do those kinds of experimental studies, you have to use basically the marijuana product that\u2019s been developed by the United States government for that purpose, which, of course, is not the the product that the vast majority of Americans are utilizing or purchasing in dispensaries like here in Colorado,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Many researchers\u2014including the head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)<\/a>\u2014have complained about the fact that scientists are currently dependent on cannabis grown from a single, federally authorized source at the University of Mississippi, with products that do not reflect what\u2019s available in commercial markets.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s one of several marijuana research barrier identified in a report that NIDA recently submitted to Congress<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Because Wortzel\u2019s study was observational and didn\u2019t require the administration of marijuana in a controlled, clinical setting, however, its findings are unique in that participants using cannabis were obtaining it outside of the government\u2019s garden.<\/p>\n
While the research found that the cannabis group did improve more quickly compared to the non-user group, it surprisingly didn\u2019t find that marijuana was associated with better sleep or other \u201cfunctional outcomes and activity levels.\u201d That\u2019s despite the fact that, anecdotally, many people report improved sleep with cannabis.<\/p>\n
The study author said they felt looking at those factors was \u201creally important because symptoms matter\u2014I mean, PTSD symptoms are unpleasant and a source of suffering for lots of people\u2014but at the end of the day, in addition to sort of alleviating symptoms, we want to see people getting back into life, engaging in work or other sort of activities that are just as important for our overall well-being and emotional health.\u201d<\/p>\n
While congressional lawmakers are working to advance legislation to end marijuana prohibition, VA officials have resisted even modest proposals meant to promote veteran access and clinical research into the medical value of cannabis.<\/p>\n
One such research bill\u00a0was approved by the House Veterans Affairs Committee<\/a> last month, despite testimony from the department opposing the reform<\/a>. VA\u2019s David Carroll told lawmakers that the legislation was overly prescriptive and argued that the department is already conducting robust research into marijuana.<\/p>\n
Some had held out hope that the department would back the reform this session after the sponsor, Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA), said that he\u2019d had a conversation with VA Secretary Denis McDonough<\/a>\u00a0about the issue of marijuana and veterans.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a VA official said in September that the department is \u201cvery closely\u201d following research into the potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelics like MDMA<\/a> for military veterans with PTSD.<\/p>\n
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) recently attempted to insert into defense legislation an amendment to require the Department of Defense to conduct a clinical trial into the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics for military members with chronic pain and PTSD. But it was blocked from receiving a floor vote by the House Rules Committee<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Crenshaw, a veteran himself, also recently moderated\u00a0a conversation with a top psychedelics reform advocate<\/a>. The congressman said that a veteran\u2019s account of psychedelics therapy with MDMA \u201csounds amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
During joint hearings before House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees in March, three veterans service organizations submitted written testimony backing a policy change to expand access to or increase research on medical cannabis, and one argued in favor of loosening restrictions to enable veterans to\u00a0utilize psychedelics in their mental health treatment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A federal commission tasked with developing recommendations to improve mental health treatment for military veterans determined in a report early last year that Congress and the executive branch\u00a0should promote research into the therapeutic potential<\/a>\u00a0of marijuana and psychedelics such as psilocybin mushrooms and MDMA.<\/p>\n
Separately, a bipartisan coalition of congressional lawmakers said in a recent letter to McDonough that the department must urgently institute a policy change to ensure that military veterans can access cannabis<\/a> for therapeutic use.<\/p>\n
The letter comes weeks after McDonough participated in a Veterans Day Q&A where he said that VA officials are\u00a0\u201clooking at\u201d the possibility of an internal policy change<\/a>\u00a0and have discussed it with the White House and Department of Justice. The secretary also talked about being personally moved by stories from veterans who\u2019ve found relief using medical marijuana.<\/p>\n
\nNebraska Governor Partners With Prohibitionist Group On Ad Opposing Medical Marijuana<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
Photo courtesy of Martin Alonso<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
The post Marijuana Helps Treat PTSD Symptoms But Federal Policy Impedes Science, VA Researcher Says<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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