PTSD, medical marijuana and the confines of the VA

Published: June 5, 2012

A wide variety of medicinal marijuana buds are made available for patients at a medical marijuana dispensary in Long Beach, California on March 21, 2012.

Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/MCT

More veterans are backing the fight that would include PTSD as a qualifying condition for legal medical marijuana programs in 17 states, according to a story in USA Today.

While some doctors and veterans disagree on the effectiveness of cannabis as PTSD treatment, the approval remains a complicated issue because it involves the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and potential federal oversight.

The story quotes veterans who have gone through the tricky VA process of receiving and using medical marijuana for PTSD.

While the VA has allowed patients to use the drug in states where it is legal, doctors can not recommend it for treatment.

The story also touches on how the VA does not track the number of veterans who participate in medical marijuana programs, and difficult situations for some veterans who may feel their entire medical coverage is in jeopardy if they use the drug.

Source: USA Today

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