Page 164 - Total War on PTSD

of America’s Veterans Health Council said, “You wouldn’t have cancer treatments that aren’t approved done to yourself or your family members and Marijuana should be subjected to the same scrutiny.”
H.R. 5520, the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2018, was introduced on April 16, 2018 and the bill has the support of top Republicans and Democrats on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee as well as other key lawmakers. It would not only clarify that the VA has the authority to research Cannabis, but also requires regular reports from department leaders on how seriously they are taking that responsibility. Tim Walz explained, “While we know Cannabis can have life-saving effects on Veterans suffering from chronic pain or PTSD, there has been a severe lack of research studying the full effect of medicinal Cannabis on these Veterans.” That is why I am so proud to introduce this legislation. Simply put, there is no department or organization better suited to conduct this critically important research than VA, and there will never be a better time to act.”
Thousands of military Veterans have asked federal and state legislators to legalize medicinal Cannabis, pointing out that is would reduce suicide among current and former military personnel. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo chose Veterans Day of 2017 to change his state’s medical Marijuana program to include PTSD as a qualifying condition. “Despite the limited research, many scientists have recently shifted focus from THC to CBD – even if many patients have not,” says Marcel Bonn-Miller, a Psychology and Psychiatry professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. “Think of CBD as a shotgun,” she said, “It hits many receptors that people are still trying to understand it.” “If you want to actually treat PTSD, most of the evidence is pointing toward CBD. But most people with PTSD are
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