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Scientists Think Cannabis Can Cure PTSD

Scientists Think Cannabis Can Cure PTSD

Health

Scientists Think Cannabis Can Cure PTSD

PTSD

Researchers at the University of Calgary are investigating whether or not cannabis could be an effective way to cure PTSD. The new study is focused on learning more about the human body’s endocannabinoid system. Scientists involved with the project said that system helps regulate the kinds of strong emotions people with PTSD experience.

“There’s much evidence the endocannabinoid system is involved with managing stress, there’s evidence this system can regulate this phase,” said memory scientist Dr. Maria Morena. Morena is a lead researcher on the project.

She also explained that the endocannabinoid system naturally responds to certain chemicals found in cannabis.

Morena hopes that her current project could help scientists figure out how to use marijuana to control the bodily systems associated with strong emotions.

She said there’s a possibility that cannabis could be an effective way to control those systems. If so, it could give people struggling with PTSD a way to cope with the strong emotions, fears, and anxieties that come with the disorder.

If Morena and her colleagues are able to figure out how to use cannabis to treat PTSD it could be an important breakthrough for medical marijuana.

There is already an ongoing debate over whether or not marijuana can help people with PTSD.

In the United States, a group of doctors in Illinois have recently asked the state to add the disorder to its list of health conditions that qualify for access to medical marijuana.

Discussions of marijuana and PTSD are especially relevant to war veterans.

Many vets come back from war with PTSD. And many of them have started looking to cannabis as a possible form of treatment.

Veterans in the U.S. often have a hard time getting access to medical marijuana.

That’s largely because current rules governing what Veterans Affairs (VA) doctors can and can’t do make it impossible for them to prescribe marijuana to patients.

As a result, many veterans have moved to Colorado or other places that have legalized medical cannabis. Recently, however, lawmakers have urged the VA to revise its rules.

If the VA does change its rules, it could make it possible for VA doctors to actively recommend medical marijuana to their patients dealing with PTSD.

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