Medical Marijuana and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Medical marijuana (MM), also known as medical cannabis and Indian hemp, is used for a wide variety of medical and mental ailments caused in part by stress and anxiety generally. In places where it is legal, MM is prescribed as one of many methods of relief. Hundreds of treatments to manage stress have emerged during the past 30 years with limited success. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is no different. Many of the classic signs of PTSD, including elevations in heart and respiration rate, are associated with the inability to calm oneself. MM is one means by which such calming is achieved. Unfortunately, because cannabis is illegal, there has been very little research on both the costs and benefits of regular use. Nevertheless, because this substance ...