Monday, May 04, 2015 04:27PM CHICAGO -- Illinois residents could use medical marijuana to treat chronic migraines and post-traumatic stress disorder, but not anxiety or diabetes under recommendations that an advisory board agreed to on Monday.
The board, which is made up of doctors, nurses, patients and a pharmacist, held a public meeting in Chicago to consider whether to expand Illinois' nascent medical marijuana program to include the treatment of additional diseases and disorders. The state Department of Public Health will consider the recommendations.
Besides chronic migraines and PTSD, the board voted to recommend adding osteoarthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, peripheral neuropathy and diabetic neuropathy to the list of qualifying conditions for the medical marijuana program.
Board member Jim Champion, who is a military veteran, announced the board's unanimous approval for adding PTSD, saying he was "very, very proud."
Most experts agree that the evidence on marijuana and PTSD is limited to anecdotal reports from people who say the drug helps them. Meanwhile, gold-standard research has been stymied by federal barriers.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs states on its website that there is "no evidence at this time that marijuana is an effective treatment for PTSD. In fact, research suggests that marijuana can be harmful to individuals with PTSD."
CBD, a component of marijuana, has been shown to decrease anxiety in people with social anxiety "but not yet among individuals with PTSD," according to the VA. A small trial of THC, another ingredient in marijuana, showed decreases in "hyperarousal symptoms," that is, being easily startled or feeling tense.
The most rigorous trial yet of marijuana for PTSD is on track to begin this summer.
"I finally starting listening to the vets," said Dr. Sue Sisley, an Arizona psychiatrist and a co-investigator on the study. "I finally started hearing their stories and learning from them how they were successful using the (marijuana) plant to manage their symptoms."
Sisley and her colleagues plan to recruit 76 veterans with PTSD for a randomized controlled trial of smoked marijuana. The trial has approval from the Food and Drug Administration. The Colorado Board of Health recently approved a nearly $2.2 million grant. But the researchers still need the Drug Enforcement Administration to sign off.
Three years ago, Sisley was accepting speaking fees from a pharmaceutical company to teach other doctors about Lexapro, a brand name drug for anxiety and depression. "These (antidepressant) medications are very disappointing on the whole," she said. Patients told her they got better results smoking pot.
The sentiment is echoed in a petition from an Illinois veteran, who asked that PTSD be included in the state program.
"It is my intent to replace most of my current medications with cannabis," the veteran wrote. The state blacked out the names of petitioners before releasing the documents to the AP to protect patients' privacy. "My biggest concerns are the long term debilitating conditions including possible death, with the current medications I am prescribed."
Source: AP
The board, which is made up of doctors, nurses, patients and a pharmacist, held a public meeting in Chicago to consider whether to expand Illinois' nascent medical marijuana program to include the treatment of additional diseases and disorders. The state Department of Public Health will consider the recommendations.
Besides chronic migraines and PTSD, the board voted to recommend adding osteoarthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, peripheral neuropathy and diabetic neuropathy to the list of qualifying conditions for the medical marijuana program.
Board member Jim Champion, who is a military veteran, announced the board's unanimous approval for adding PTSD, saying he was "very, very proud."
Most experts agree that the evidence on marijuana and PTSD is limited to anecdotal reports from people who say the drug helps them. Meanwhile, gold-standard research has been stymied by federal barriers.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs states on its website that there is "no evidence at this time that marijuana is an effective treatment for PTSD. In fact, research suggests that marijuana can be harmful to individuals with PTSD."
CBD, a component of marijuana, has been shown to decrease anxiety in people with social anxiety "but not yet among individuals with PTSD," according to the VA. A small trial of THC, another ingredient in marijuana, showed decreases in "hyperarousal symptoms," that is, being easily startled or feeling tense.
The most rigorous trial yet of marijuana for PTSD is on track to begin this summer.
"I finally starting listening to the vets," said Dr. Sue Sisley, an Arizona psychiatrist and a co-investigator on the study. "I finally started hearing their stories and learning from them how they were successful using the (marijuana) plant to manage their symptoms."
Sisley and her colleagues plan to recruit 76 veterans with PTSD for a randomized controlled trial of smoked marijuana. The trial has approval from the Food and Drug Administration. The Colorado Board of Health recently approved a nearly $2.2 million grant. But the researchers still need the Drug Enforcement Administration to sign off.
Three years ago, Sisley was accepting speaking fees from a pharmaceutical company to teach other doctors about Lexapro, a brand name drug for anxiety and depression. "These (antidepressant) medications are very disappointing on the whole," she said. Patients told her they got better results smoking pot.
The sentiment is echoed in a petition from an Illinois veteran, who asked that PTSD be included in the state program.
"It is my intent to replace most of my current medications with cannabis," the veteran wrote. The state blacked out the names of petitioners before releasing the documents to the AP to protect patients' privacy. "My biggest concerns are the long term debilitating conditions including possible death, with the current medications I am prescribed."
Source: AP