Medical Marijuana and PTSD Research Assignment Paper (Essay Sample)

Medical Marijuana and PTSD
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Medical Marijuana and PTSD
Marijuana is remarkably a safe drug. Although its primary active ingredients THC and other canabbinoids produce psychoactive effects at doses of a couple of milligrams, they do not have lethal effects. Unlike other psychoactive drugs including alcohol, aspirin, opiates, nicotine, and caffeine, cannabis is not known to cause fatal overdoses (Bergamaschi et al., 2011). The Drug Administration Administration’s judge Francis Young, in his 1988 ruling recommending the legalization of marijuana noted that marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to mankind (Bergamaschi et al., 2011). The journey to use cannabis as a therapeutic agent is long dating back to many years ago as people started to discover the drug’s medical importance. Of late, it is commonly used in the management of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Bergamaschi et al., 2011). In line with that, this paper examines the effects of medical marijuana on PTSD.
First, it is paramount to note that presently, there is no clear cut treatment for PTSD. However, following latest discoveries in the human therapeutic hotspots that is, endocannabinoid system, new avenues are being unearthed for understanding the underpinnings of PTSD and its treatment (Mehmedic et al., 2010). Latest studies on PTSD have found that anandamide levels in PTSD are very minimal; this compound is found in cannabinoids. In normal people, anandamide triggers the very same receptors that are activated by the components of marijuana including THC (Mehmedic et al., 2010). In other words, latest studies are showing that people with PTSD have anandamide deficiency. For that matter, the body does not synthesize sufficient anandamide to fill receptor sites and that is why cannabinoids found marijuana come in; they help supplement that deficiency and thus help PTSD patients gain relief (Mehmedic et al., 2010).
Different studies have shown that the normal CB-1 signaling causes the deactivation of traumatic events but brings forth forgetfulness (Bonn-Miller et al., 2014). Moreover, skewed CB-1 signaling, because of the deficiency in anandamide, an endocannabinoid, there is impaired fear of extinction, chronic anxiety, and aversive memory consolidation, the chief underpinnings of PTSD. Cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabinoid extracted from marijuana, has been tested and found to counter THC’s effects such as anxiety and paranoia. However, additional studies ought to be conducted to establish the relationship between CBD and THC can lead to the establishment of safe and tolerable values of cannabis that should be used in pharmaceuticals to relive the anxiety disorder that is common in PTSD (Bonn-Miller et al., 2014). Additionally, it is essential to point out that there is no single medication that can be used to treat PTSD but cannabis provides the much needed relief when no other medication or approach can (Bonn-Miller et al., 2014).
In another study that was conducted in 2009, it was found that genetics and cannabinoids may both lead to PTSD. The researchers conducted genetic tests on kids, their parents and their families that were known to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other disorders that co-occur with ADHD. The researchers unearthed one powerful finding in which they discovered that mutations in the CB1 receptor are found in patients with PTSD and ADHD. The identification of these genes provided an avenue for researchers to explore the possible use of cannabis in the treatment of PTSD. In another pilot study conducted in Israel, scientists tested the effects of THC, an active cannabinoid found in marijuana to treat 10 PTSD patients (Roitman et al., 2014). In that study, THC was used to as an additional medication in patients that had used conventional medications but had registered poor outcomes. It was revealed that following the use of THC as an additional medication, there was a notable improvement in the overall symptom severity. Sleep quality, PTSD hyper-arousal and frequency of nightmares all improved (Roitman et al., 2014). The participants were given five milligrams of THC twice a day. However, three participants registered adverse effects following THC use although they were not serious to warrant their discontinuation form the study (Roitman et al., 2014).
Similarly, in a rodent study conducted in 2012, it was found that non-psychoactive CBD may key in the reduction of traumatic, stress memories (Boden et al., 2013). Rats normally develop fear when they are made to have a foot shock in selected environments. They tend to have a fear memory response when placed in that particular environment in the future. Moreover, the researchers realized that CBD was a perfect intervention in this scenario. Following injection with CBD, rats were placed in that particular environment but it was surprising to note that the medication reduced fear in those in those rats (Boden et al., 2013). This finding is very powerful in that Cannabinoids may play a crucial role in the desensitization of stress records that trouble the majority of PTSD patients (Boden et al., 2013).
In conclusion, this paper has found that medical marijuana is showing promise in the treatment of PTSD. Although there are no clinical trials that have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of marijuana derived in the treatment of PTSD, animal, pilot, and self reported studies have showed positive results. In line with that, this paper concluded that medical marijuana ha positive e...