Colorado Rejects Pot For PTSD Claiming Lack of Scientific Data
By Susanne Posel – July 16, 2015
The Colorado Board of Health (CBH) has announced their rejection to allow medical marijuana to be added to the list of approved treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD).
This is the 3rd time the CBH has disapproved of using pot to treat this “debilitating condition”.
Terri Robnett, director of Cannabis Patients Alliance (CPA) said this action was decided without consideration of the testimony given to the board by PTSD sufferers; including former combat soldiers who said their quality of life had improved since taking marijuana.
Robnett explained: “Having PTSD listed as a condition treatable with medical marijuana would allow physicians to recommend strains that provide relief without the drug’s psychoactive properties, and allow for improved tracking of its efficacy.”
While the CBH does not condone marijuana use in treating PTSD, their website suggests that pot can be legally used for cancer, glaucoma and HIV/AIDS; as well as:
• Persistent muscle spams
• Extreme weight loss
• Severe pain
• Nausea
• Seizures
Board member Jill Hunsaker-Ryan claimed that Colorado could not sanction physicians to counsel patients “in favor of it because we don’t have data to show it’s correct.”
In the end, it was the position of the American Psychiatric Society (APS), that marijuana does more harm than good, which was the defining factor in the CBH’s rejection of using weed for PTSD.
Larry Wolk, chief medical officer for the state of Colorado said he was “disappointed by the decision”.
In support of marijuana use for veterans suffering from PTSD, 2 years ago the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) released information explained that marijuana helps eleviate the effects of PTSD in soldiers.
The study reads: “These results provide the first evidence that pharmacological enhancement of extinction learning is feasible in humans using cannabinoid system modulators, which may thus warrant further development and clinical testing.”
In 2012, the Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access (VMCA) demanded in a petition to the White House for the rights of US veterans to use cannabis for “therapeutic purposes”.
Holmes stated that the testing in the rats were positive; however “tests in people are just beginning and will take years to complete. In the meantime, researchers are learning more about how marijuana and THC affect the fear system in people.”
The study concluded that “people who got THC during the therapy had long-lasting reductions in anxiety, very similar to what we were seeing in our animal models. So THC may be most useful when used for a short time in combination with other therapy.”
In 2013, a directive issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has enabled clinics and hospitals to prescribe medical marijuana to patients in 14 states.
Although those doctors are not admonished to prescribe marijuana to veterans who are denied pain medication, it sets a precedent.
In addition, it federalized the use of medical marijuana while at the same time conflicting with federal laws prohibiting the use and sale of marijuana.
Robert Petzel, undersecretary for health at the VA stated that these new guidelines will be sent to all 900 care facilities across the nation; while making a concise warning that doctors retain the right of refusal to patients based on a professional opinion of treatment options.
Petzel said: “If a veteran obtains and uses medical marijuana in a manner consistent with state law, testing positive for marijuana would not preclude the veteran from receiving opioids for pain management. The discretion to prescribe, or not prescribe, opioids in conjunction with medical marijuana, should be determined on clinical grounds.”
Article source Occupy Corporatism
