May 15, 2013
cannabinoids, CB1, National Institutes of Health, New York University Langone Medical Center, NIH, post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD
Despite a previous lack of clinical data to support their claims, thousands of people suffering from PTSD have reported finding great relief from their symptoms by using marijuana. Now there is some research to add to the anecdotal evidence.
Patients’ gravitation towards marijuana inspired researchers at New York University Langone Medical Center to examine the brain’s response to cannabinoid (CB1) receptors, a first-of-its-kind study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
They found that when an individual consumes some of the cannabinoids found in marijuana, CB1 receptors are activated in the brain, impairing memory and reducing anxiety, a blessing for those scarred by past events. With this information, scientists hope to manufacture a “CB1 equilibrium”-promoting, trauma-targeting drug.
It should be noted that NIH departments rejected a study proposal in 2011 that sought to test the effects of whole-plant marijuana on a group of veterans suffering from PTSD.
Currently, New Mexico, Delaware, and Connecticut explicitly allow PTSD as a qualifying condition to use medical marijuana, and a bill to do so will likely pass in Oregon this year. Doctors in California and Massachusetts may recommend medical marijuana for PTSD patients if they think it will ease debilitating symptoms.