Effectiveness of Marijuana use in the treatment of PTSD among the veterans (Essay Sample)

Effectiveness of Marijuana use in the treatment of PTSD among the veterans: A Literature Review Name Institution Marijuana use is illegal in many countries for various medical reasons. Prior studies before marijuana was considered to be a clinical medicine, revealed that marijuana was not fit for human use because it was associated with cardiopulmonary and mental problems, hence, it remained banned and illegal. However, recent studies have shown that marijuana could have medical benefits to people suffering from ailments such as cancer, stress, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Hence, the term, “medical marijuana” emerged to denote the use of marijuana as a medicine to treat specific diseases. Various studies have observed that medical marijuana can be used as a substitute to treat PTSD symptoms; researchers have focused on the use of marijuana among the veterans to ascertain whether marijuana can be the best alternative to pharmacotherapies and psychotherapies in treating PTSD. In this paper, the author establishes the effectiveness of marijuana use in the treatment of PTSD among the veterans. Marijuana as a treat for PTSD Marijuana is being used as alternative treatment of PTSD where the traditional medicines have failed. Research studies have shown that veterans suffering from PTSD and being prescribed to medical marijuana are likely to recover faster compared to patients being administered pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy treatments. According to Smith, et al. (2017), marijuana has delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) as the active components which are important to patients suffering from PTSD. THC produces a psychoactive effect; it also has anti-nausea and analgesic effects. CBD, on the other hand, is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid that exhibit muscle-relaxing properties, anti-inflammatory effects, anti-epileptic, and anti-emetic effects which are important to anyone diagnosed with PTSD. Smith, et al. (2017) believe that “the cannabinoids bind with CB-1 and CB-2 receptors” that constitute the mammalian endocannabinoid system (p.402). Since the endocannabinoid system is involved in the regulation of memory, mood, emotional state and sleep, the activation CB-1 and CB-2 receptors through the binding process results in the desired clinical effects linked to marijuana use that include the stimulation of appetite, relaxation of muscles, regulation of mood and the reduction of anxiety. In this perspective, Smith, et al. (2017) held that medical marijuana reduces symptoms related to PTSD. In their study, Smith and others noted that the use of medical marijuana among the veterans diagnosed with PTSD reduced suicidal thoughts, and enhanced social and family life, following a reduction in PTSD symptoms. Elliott, et al. (2015) shares similar sentiments that medical marijuana reduces PTSD among the veterans; they believe that medical marijuana is highly used among the veterans compared to other populations because veterans exhibit high levels of PTSD. Employing focus groups and in-depth interviews, Elliot, et al. (2015) found out that veterans preferred to use cannabis than pharmacological treatment because marijuana induces a relaxing effect which assisted the patients in staying away from the unwanted triggers. Marijuana reduces anxiety and depression; it also assists the patient in establishing helpful social connections to other people. Another study conducted by Chan et al. (2017) revealed that medical marijuana had the ability to reduce up to 75 percent of the PTSD symptoms which include anxiety, sleep disorder, insomnia, depression, headache, and exhaustion. The researchers noted that PTSD patients showed a reduction in pain, improved medical conditions, ability to cope with pain, improved quality of life and reduced symptoms of PTSD. However, the researchers also noted some of the side effects of using marijuana; these include sleepiness, psychoactive effects, and dry mouth. However, Chan et al. (2017) believe that marijuana is still useful to veterans suffering from PTSD since they propose to clinicians to consider the side effects of the drug while administering it. Unlike other critiques who believe that marijuana has more harm than benefits, the proposition that the side effects of marijuana should be considered while using it implies that marijuana has more benefits than its short-comings (Chan et al. 2017). Betthauser, et al. (2015) study on the use and effects of marijuana in the military veterans noted that marijuana had the capacity to influence the nervous system by inducing pleasure and altering the memory processes. Such influences provide the clinical basis through which marijuana is used to treat the three basic symptoms of PTSD which are avoidance and numbing, re-experiencing and hyper-arousal. Despite finding some issues on the use of marijuana, such as the withdrawal symptoms, Betthauser, et al. (2015) concluded that the current pharmacotherapies being used to treat PTSD symptoms exhibit higher risks that outweigh the treatment benefits. In this view, Betthauser, et al. (2015) believes that marijuana compared with pharmacotherapies, has more benefits than harm. Therefore, marijuana remains the best alternative medicine to alleviate the majority of the PTSD symptoms (Betthauser, et al. 2015). Various types of marijuana respond differently to the symptoms of PTSD. Drost, et al. (2017) has shown that certain types of marijuana are effective in alleviating PTSD symptoms than others such that certain types of species have to be used for a short period while others have to be used for a long period before their intended effects are noticed. In a study to determine the effectiveness of SedamenMR, LuminariumMR, and MidnightMR, Drost, et al. (2017), noted that SedamenMR, could treat overall PTSD within a period of 4 to 10 months; sedamen was also effective in managing the four main symptoms of PTSD that are depression, pain, anxiety, and sleep problems. LuminariumMR was effective within 4 and 10 months, however, it could only manage anxiety, pain, and depression. MidnightMR, on the other hand, was effective after ten months and it could alleviate all the four PTSD symptoms. From the research, it is evident that SedamenMR was more effective than LuminariumMR and MidnightMR because it could treat PTSD and the four-related symptoms within a shorter period compared to the other types of marijuana (Drost, et al. 2017). Hence, the effectiveness of marijuana use to treat PTSD among the veterans depends highly on the type of marijuana that is being prescribed to the veterans where the prescription of SedamenMR is likely to be more effective compared to LuminariumMR, and MidnightMR. Challenges of Marijuana Use as a treatment of PTSD The use of medical marijuana for the treatment of PTSD among the veterans is linked with withdrawal symptoms such as cannabis use disorders. The cannabis use disorders (CUDs) are considered to be the problematic patterns associated to the continuous use of marijuana in the last 12 months (Bonn-Miller, et al., 2017). CUDs manifest themselves through a combination of several addiction symptoms such as cravings, overuse, and difficulties in trying to cut down the amount of marijuana being consumed. Bonn-Miller, et al. (2017) in their study to determine the impact of posttraumatic stress disorder on cannabis quit success, noted that although marijuana can be used to treat PTSD, it was difficult for the patients using marijuana to quit using it once the intended purpose has been achieved. The authors discovered that patients who were initially using marijuana prior to treatment did not reduce the quantity of marijuana in the first months after the successful treatment of PTSD. Although the study noted that patients that were not using cannabis prior to treatment reduced the amount of marijuana use after the treatment, the patients did not stop completely the use of marijuana (Bonn-Miller, et al., 2017). Comparing the individuals with PTSD and non-PTSD patients, the study revealed that PTSD patients would find it difficult to stop using marijuana compared to non-PTSD patients. Therefore, the use of marijuana among the PTSD veterans is likely to “lead to dependence and exacerbated symptoms of withdrawal and craving during cessation attempts” (Bonn-Miller, et al., 2017, p.342). Bujarski, et al. (2016) also noted that the use of marijuana among the veterans was associated with high level of cannabis use disorder (CUD) where many clients who reported to the VA clinics with CUD had a history of PTSD. Approximately 46% of the personnel in PTSD clinics that had high rates of CUD held that veterans were using marijuana to cope with anxiety; however, 17% held that veterans were using cannabis because of their previous use. The clinicians in high CUD rates believed that marijuana was as serious as any other drug with 58% sharing the same sentiments compared to 41% of the clinicians working in low CUD clinics. The study noted that many of the CUD patients were not reporting CUD as illness despite having used marijuana to treat PTSD; lack of diagnosis for CUD placed their lives at higher risk of consuming more marijuana to alleviate the perceived symptoms. Similarly, Galang, et al. (2015), while studying Difficulties in emotion regulation are associated with panic symptom, noted that patients using marijuana to treat PTSD would likely experience panic symptoms and difficulties in emotion regulation when they try to withdraw from marijuana. Hence, people with failed emotional processing may find it difficult to quit marijuana use because such an action may lead to challenges in emotional regulation that has the likelihood of causing panic symptoms. Marijuana was not an effective treatment of PTSD if the patient uses other types of drugs such as alcohol. The research by Bedard-Gilligan, et al. (2018), to investigate Alcohol, Cannabis, ...