PTSD sufferers should keep access to medical cannabis - The Santa Fe New Mexican

PTSD sufferers should keep access to medical cannabis - The Santa Fe New Mexican

clip from article:
New Mexico’s decision to allow post-traumatic stress disorder as a condition that can be treated with medical marijuana is helping sufferers across the state cope with their symptoms. Some 3,300 patients are taking advantage of that access, using medical-grade cannabis to treat symptoms of this little-understood malady. Many are veterans of war, others are survivors of tragedies, including sexual assault. Anecdotally, they tell us that marijuana helps them deal with life. Reporter Deborah Busemeyer details their stories — and the debate over PTSD and medical cannabis — in today’s Santa Fe New Mexican, showing how desperate people turned to cannabis for help, many as a last measure.
That treatment could be taken away, though. Access to medical marijuana for PTSD is being questioned in New Mexico. To skeptics, there is not enough scientific evidence to prove that sufferers benefit from smoking or consuming pot. In November, the New Mexico Medical Cannabis Advisory Board will review a petition asking that PTSD be removed as a condition for which medical marijuana can be prescribed through the state’s Medical Cannabis Program. Psychiatrist Dr. William Ulwelling is petitioning the state because he believes there is a lack of evidence showing that medical marijuana helps PTSD. What’s more, he thinks that medical cannabis is a risk for sufferers of PTSD, leading to substance abuse problems and other injury. After the board considers his petition Nov. 7 — veterans are expected to turn out to testify in favor of keeping marijuana access — the interim deputy health secretary will make a final decision. [read more at link]