There are countless testimonies out there from veterans who describe how medical marijuana has helped them deal with PTSD. I have posted several articles about the topic over the years, and so has just about every other marijuana media outlet, and even a lot of mainstream media outlets. There are so many testimonies out there that I think it’s beyond obvious that medical marijuana helps those that suffer from PTSD. Dr. Sue Sisley is an Arizona physician who is pursuing research on PTSD and medical marijuana, and has also been traveling the country championing medical marijuana for PTSD.
Earlier this month Dr. Sisley was in Colorado where there was a push to add PTSD to the list of qualifying conditions to become a medical marijuana patient. Several states have added PTSD to their qualifying medical marijuana lists, and many thought that Colorado would do the same. Sadly, that proved not to be the case. Colorado is a national leader in many ways when it comes to marijuana, but helping people that suffer from PTSD is not one of them.
So with so many testimonies out there from people that suffer from PTSD and get relief from medical marijuana, the testimony of a physician who is heading up the research to prove that PTSD helps sufferers, and many other states having already added PTSD to their lists, how did the effort fail? Dr. Sue Sisley thinks it’s because of the heavy level of influence from the pharmaceutical industry. Per Westword:
Sisley has her suspicions about what happened behind the scenes at the Colorado hearing, where of the fifty-plus speakers, only two testified in opposition to the proposal. “Several members who voted ‘no’ cited the fact that APA and other organized medicine groups oppose this initiative,” she says. “I am concerned that these organized medicine groups are heavily influenced by big Pharma….. Obviously, Pharma has a vested interest in suppressing these initiatives because they have the potential to harm their ‘business model.'”
Representative Jonathan Singer has offered to run another bill through the Colorado Legislature that would add PTSD to the list of MMJ-approved complaints, “but I think the best approach is probably to go through the court system, as we did successfully in Arizona,” Sisley says, noting that several Colorado attorneys agree: ”So look for a court case this fall.”
Whether it be via legislation, or the courts, for the sake of PTSD sufferers in Colorado, I hope that this gets added sooner than later. There is simply no reason why people should have to suffer when there is something that is safe that they can consume, and is widely available in Colorado.
