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Title: Feds Recognize Power of Pot, Approve Bill Allowing Vets Access to Medical Marijuana
Source:
Free Thought Project
URL Source: http://thefreethoughtproject.com/se ... na-states/#4oui37js0qgDZXoC.99
Published: Nov 12, 2015
Author: Jay Syrmopoulos
Post Date: 2015-11-13 09:23:57 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 421
Comments: 5
Washington, D.C. – A potentially historic piece of legislation passed the Senate on the eve of Veterans Day, which includes provisions that gives Veterans Affairs (VA) doctors’ the ability to recommend medical cannabis to patients in states where medical marijuana is legal. The provisions were added as part of an amendment in the Senate Appropriations Committee this spring. “Veterans in medical marijuana states should be treated the same as any other resident, and should be able to discuss marijuana with their doctor,” said Michael Collins, deputy director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance. “It makes no sense that a veteran can’t use medical marijuana if it helps them and it is legal in their state.” The Veterans Equal Access Amendment passed Committee in an 18-12 bipartisan vote, with the bill being sponsored by Republican Senator Steve Daines and Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley. The next step for funding the bill is reconciling it with the House version as part of an omnibus spending bill, according to the Drug Policy Alliance. According to a report from the Drug Policy Alliance: In 2002, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed in Conant v. Walters the right of physicians to recommend medical marijuana, regardless of its illegality under federal law, as well as the right of patients to receive accurate information. The Daines-Merkley amendment supports that first amendment right and restores a healthy doctor-patient relationship. The VA currently prohibits its medical providers from authorizing patients to participate in state medical marijuana programs. The Daines-Merkley amendment authorizes VA physicians and other health care providers to provide recommendations and opinions regarding the use of medical marijuana to veterans who live in medical marijuana states. This victory is just the most recent step in the march towards legalization of medical cannabis in the United States. Regardless of your stance on wars of aggression in the Middle East, returning soldiers deserve the same advanced medical treatment that other people receive. The usual treatment for PTSD is “selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors” (SSRIs) which have a notorious reputation, being highly correlated with suicide and killing sprees. Perhaps it is no coincidence that veterans commit suicide at the alarming rate of 22 every day. However, clinical research shows that medical marijuana is highly effective for treating PTSD, and it does not have the dangerous side effects of SSRIs. Yet medical marijuana has been denied to veterans because of archaic, asinine drug policies. There is no timeline for when the House will vote on the Senate bill. 
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#5. To: Deckard (#0)
Clinical research? Here's the "clinical research": -- New Mexico listed post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a condition for the use of medical cannabis. -- 80 PTSD patients applied for the New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program between 2009 and 2011. -- The Clinician Administered Posttraumatic Scale for DSM-IV (CAPS) was administered retrospectively and symptom scores were then collected and compared in a retrospective chart review of the first 80 patients evaluated. -- The result was a reported 75% reduction in CAPS symptom scores when patients were using cannabis compared to when they were not. Translation: 80 people signed up for medical marijuana claiming PTSD. When later asked if it helped, 75% said, "Uh, yeah. Sure did." That's your clinical study.
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Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest"However, clinical research shows that medical marijuana is highly effective for treating PTSD, and it does not have the dangerous side effects of SSRIs."
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