Veteran’s give there all and experience things rarely faced by average citizens. In Canada and America alone there are 17 millions with over a million suffering from Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Now data is clear THC, from marijuana, has a positive effect on PTSD. The US Department of Veterans affairs are working to provide medical marijuana to veterans.
Research has consistently demonstrated that the human endocannabinoid system plays a significant role in PTSD. People with PTSD have greater availability of cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptors as compared to trauma-exposed or healthy controls (18,19). As a result, cannabis use by individuals with PTSD could produce short-term reductions of PTSD symptoms.
Researchers from Wayne State University in Michigan have been working to help. They published data in the journal Neuropharmacology. The study found the combination of a specific type of therapy and moderate amounts of THC were particularly beneficial for people with PTSD.
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They conducted a double-blind experiment on 51 participants. These subjects were randomly given 7.5 mg of THC or a placebo pill and were kept under supervision and timed. Participants were scanned on a MRI with researchers conducting regular check-ins on their mental state.
After consuming their pills, at the peak of THC’s effect, researchers provided participants with emotional regulation tasks, like showing participants triggering images and repeating this with the goal of having them reappraise them, and thus successfully regulating their emotions.
RELATED: Veterans And Cannabis: What The Law Is Now, And Where It Might Be Headed
Results showed that only participants who’d consumed THC were able to reduce and manage their negative emotions. The compound also activated areas of their brains that are normally stunted in people with PTSD. “THC may prove to be a beneficial pharmacological adjunct to cognitive reappraisal therapy in the treatment of PTSD,” wrote the study’s authors.
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This study isn’t the first to find a link between THC and PTSD, but it is the first to see THC’s impact during cognitive reappraisal tasks for individuals with PTSD, which is important. When patients are able to successfully reappraise their emotions they’re more likely to repeat this behavior in the future, reducing anxiety and negative responses. This suggests that THC could become an effective way of treating these patients and improving their symptoms.
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PTSD patients share THC helps them with their migraines, panic attacks and overwhelming emotions.
Unfortuanly, a key Senate panel on advanced legislation for the first time which would require Veterans Affairs officials to hold clinical trials on using medicinal cannabis for the treatment of chronic pain and post-traumatic stress. Key GOP members blocked the bill, currently stalling a path of relief for the citizens who have served.
