Last December I denied a petition to add Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to the list of debilitating medical conditions that qualify people for an Arizona Medical Marijuana Registration Card. I denied the petition because there was a lack of scientific evidence to document whether Cannabis is helpful or not to treat or provide palliative care for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Here’s the report conducted by the UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health that summarizes the available scientific evidence.
Earlier this year a group of folks appealed my decision to the Arizona Office of Administrative Hearings. A hearing was held a few weeks ago. This week an Administrative Law Judge ruled that: “… the Appellant’s appeal is granted and that PTSD is added to the list of debilitating conditions for which marijuana may be dispensed”.
According to the Office of Administrative Hearings, I have until July 9 to either accept, reject or modify the recommended decision. I’ll be studying the report and will make a decision after analyzing the Decision and Order.
I would love to see PTSD on the accepted list of ailments. Too many people will and can benefit from this!
The science is undeniable. You got schooled.
I hope you accept the decision of the Administrative Law Judge, and avoid a costly lawsuit that your department will lose.
Please include it. Not right to have them suffer when they could have relief that could change and possibly save lives. Please do the right thing
I am a licensed professional counselor and I support medical marijuana for PTSD.
PTSD will make you so ill that you will wish you were dead. You have shakes, sweats, tremors, vomiting, nightmares, anger, depression and all mixed into one illness called PTSD.
Research it yourself Mr. Humble ALL known medications are no better than a placebo in treating PTSD. There is NO medicine to treat this malady. The only one that shows any promise is Marijuana. Check it out and you will see that I am correct.
Mr. Humble, you need to be sent into battle and get some blood and brains splattered on you and you me have a completely different take on this issue.
Most of these Phd’s and other over educated zipper heads can’t even tie their own shoes or flush a toilet and you take their word for it and not the people of Arizona?
6,000,000 Arizona Citizens are not completely wrong and your sources of information are the North Star of all Medicine and Pharmacy and the end all be all.
By your stonewalling and sandbagging and preventing Marijuana from being used for PTSD has resulted in preventable deaths and human misery.
Show some leadership and allow Marijuana to be used for PTSD. Marijuana in Arizona has become nothing more than a political football with total disregard for the ill and suffering.
Mr. Humble as you know I have administrative complaints filed against the Department also. I have collected mountains of evidence and the English dictionary on my side. (Staff name removed) and you have conflicts of interest with Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. There seems to be a great deal of MMJ money going through the hands of (Named staff removed). This explains why you have all but illuminated natural cultivation of medical marijuana and forced people into the artificially cultivated Spice shops. I have documents I would like you to explain to the public. Critically Ill patients don’t have the luxury of time for you to string this thing out in the courts forever.
This conflict of interest in the behavioral health medications that compete with medical marijuana is hurting people. If one MMJ use falls into the Behavioral Health category this Pain Pill and Mood Med Plain goes south. It just went South. I would suggest that you give up the cannabis cash cow and do the right thing.
Will, you must have missed this, sorry, thought I sent it to you. ?
http://www.nature.com/mp/journal/v18/n9/abs/mp201361a.html
Elevated brain cannabinoid CB1 receptor availability in post-traumatic stress disorder: a positron emission tomography study.
Endocannabinoids and their attending cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor have been implicated in animal models of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, their specific role has not been studied in people with PTSD. Herein, we present an in vivo imaging study using positron emission tomography (PET) and the CB1-selective radioligand [11C]OMAR in individuals with PTSD, and healthy controls with lifetime histories of trauma (trauma-exposed controls (TC)) and those without such histories (healthy controls (HC)). Untreated individuals with PTSD (N=25) with non-combat trauma histories, and TC (N=12) and HC (N=23) participated in a magnetic resonance imaging scan and a resting PET scan with the CB1 receptor antagonist radiotracer [11C]OMAR, which measures the volume of distribution (VT) linearly related to CB1 receptor availability. Peripheral levels of anandamide, 2-arachidonoylglycerol, oleoylethanolamide, palmitoylethanolamide and cortisol were also assessed. In the PTSD group, relative to the HC and TC groups, we found elevated brain-wide [11C]OMAR VT values (F(2,53)=7.96, P=0.001; 19.5% and 14.5% higher, respectively), which were most pronounced in women (F(1,53)=5.52, P=0.023). Anandamide concentrations were reduced in the PTSD relative to the TC (53.1% lower) and HC (58.2% lower) groups. Cortisol levels were lower in the PTSD and TC groups relative to the HC group. Three biomarkers examined collectively—OMAR VT, anandamide and cortisol—correctly classified nearly 85% of PTSD cases. These results suggest that abnormal CB1 receptor-mediated anandamide signaling is implicated in the etiology of PTSD, and provide a promising neurobiological model to develop novel, evidence-based pharmacotherapies for this disorder.
And from a source on your side of the fence no less. …
http://www.drugfree.org/join-together/study-links-ptsd-and-brain-receptors-activated-by-marijuana/
A new study finds a connection between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the number of cannabinoid receptors in the brain. These receptors, called CB1, are activated when a person uses marijuana.
Researchers at New York University Langone Medical Center used brain imaging techniques to find the connection, Fox News reports. They say their findings could lead the way to new treatments for PTSD.
“There’s not a single pharmacological treatment out there that has been developed specifically for PTSD,” lead author Dr. Alexander Neumeister said in a news release. “That’s a problem. There’s a consensus among clinicians that existing pharmaceutical treatments such as an antidepressant simply do not work.”
The researchers decided to study CB1 receptors because many PTSD patients use marijuana in an attempt to relieve their symptoms, Dr. Neumeister said. Many say marijuana works better for them than legal medications.
The study included 60 participants who had a PET scan. Some had PTSD, some had a history of trauma but not PTSD, and some had neither. All participants were injected with a radioactive tracer, which traveled to CB1 receptors in the brain, and illuminated them for the scan.
The researchers found people with PTSD had higher levels of CB1 receptors in the parts of the brain associated with fear and anxiety, compared with participants without PTSD. They also had lower levels of a brain chemical that binds to CB1. When a person has lower levels of this chemical, anandamide, the brain compensates by increasing the number of CB1 receptors.
Dr. Neumeister said a new PTSD treatment based on their research should not destroy CB1 receptors, because this could lead to depression. Instead, he is working on a treatment that would restore a normal balance of the endocannibinoids in the brains of people with PTSD. Endocannabinoids are substances that activate cannabinoid receptors. He said this compound does not cause health problems seen in people who are chronic marijuana users. He hopes to start clinical trials of the medication soon.
The findings are published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
1 Response to this articleLEAVE YOUR RESPONSE >
bob wiley/February 7, 2014 at 11:51 pm
Many of our veterans dealing with PTSD have said that cannabis is more effective in dealing with Post Traumatic Stress than many of the heavy duty pharmaceuticals prescribed by our mental health system. Dr Sue Sisley proposed a study of fifty Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who were unresponsive to conventional PTSD treatments and therapies. The research was approved by FDA, but denied by NIDA, the gatekeeper for all marijuana research.
How can we deny research that has the possibility to treat this increasingly problematic condition?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/us/19pot.html?_r=3&utm_source=streamsend&utm_medium=email&utm_content=14317847&utm_campaign=The%20New%20York%20Times%20Spotlights%20Study%20of%20Marijuana%20for%20Veterans%20with%20PTSD
and this link:
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/01/the-case-for-treating-ptsd-in-veterans-with-medical-marijuana/251466/
REPLY
Leave a Reply
Please read our comment policy and guidelines before you submit a comment. Your email address will not be published. Thank you for visiting Drugfree.org
Name (required)
Email (will not be published) (required)
Website
Prove you’re human *
1 + = two
Notify me of follow-up comments by email.
Notify me of new posts by email.
Disclaimer:
Reproduction in whole or in part of this publication is strictly prohibited without prior consent. Photographic rights remain the property of Join Together and the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. For reproduction inquiries, please e-mail [email protected].
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?
SEARCH JOIN TOGETHER >
Search Within a Category
Archive
Latest by month
Stay Informed
Get the latest news from the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids
Upcoming Events
October 2, 2014 – Parents Of Drug Addicts First Annual Retreat
FacebookTwitter
Like Us
#ICYMI Check out the pizza competition at our #AllStarTasting where you were jud…
#AllStarTasting
Video has surfaced showing One Direction singers, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson…
Today we join the world in remembering Maya Angelou, who touched and inspired so…
DONATE
& MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Last year your donations helped us remove over 2 Million pounds of prescription drugs from America’s medicine cabinets.
GIVE NOW
Join Together Staff
Candice Besson
Candice Besson
Editor
Celia Slom Vimont
Celia Vimont
Writer
Key Findings*
KF_mariju2
When forced to choose, a majority of parents identify the number one place where it should be permissible to advertise marijuana as “nowhere.”
SHARE
KF_drugs3
More Americans die from drug overdoses than in car crashes, and this increasing trend is driven by Rx painkillers.
SHARE
KF_mariju3
“Heavy” use of marijuana among teens is up 60 percent since 2008.
SHARE
KF_general2
Kids who learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are significantly less likely to use drugs, yet 20 percent report not getting that benefit.
SHARE
*PATS KEY FINDINGS: Released April 6, 2011 2010 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, sponsored by MetLife Foundation
© 2014 Partnership for Drug-Free Kids | Privacy Policy |
😉
Be the one to help put the remaining science in place Will, not the guy that ignored it.
Feel free to clean up that post a little lol, website auto inserted the content at the bottom
I read the Sugar Daddy study you relied on to deny our veterans medical marijuana. Ya’ll used Synthetic Marinol. You’re gonna get more people killed. Synthetic drugs will always let you down.
I truly hope you accept this. As a combat vet Ii suffer from severe PTSD and I have many friends who live with the same illness but in states that allow medical marijuana for ptsd. It has helped them tremendously. I am sure there are many others here in Az that would appreciate the help as well. Please do not reject this again and leave us struggling to cope with such a horrific illness when you have the power and ability to help us. Thank you for your time.
If you read the study that Will Humble relied on to deny veterans relief with Medical Marijuana, you will notice his scientific friends used Marinol instead of the naturally cultivated marijuana with the 5,000 years of medical history that the electorate approved in 2014.
Who pays for 4 years of suffering after a judge tells ya that you misinterpreted the English language and law and hurt people.
Where would you like the process server to go if you decide against adding it, as instructed?
I’ve been writing and ghost writing for weeks now, we have endless litigation ready to move the court.
The no25 latest was just a taste.
Petitioners, The Arizona Cannabis Nurses Association, has released our official press release in the form of a letter to Director Humble. It can be found in its entirety at
http://azcna.com/judges-decision-on-adding-ptsd/
Mr. Humble, please do the right thing for PTSD patients in Arizona! They are relying on you to have compassion for them. PTSD is a debilitating condition, of which cannabis has a palliative benefit.
Thank you for your time & attention!
Will Humble,
I ask that you take the time and make the right decision regarding adding PTSD to the list.
I have PTSD because of being placed in Arizona State Foster Care..I ask you to look up (name removed by editor) who died in a Arizona Group Home in 1996. Your department placed me in the care of staff member’s that killed (name). I have flashbacks nightly because of this incident! As well as being sexually assaulted while in the care of this foster home..
Here’s the link http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=894&dat=19950217&id=iCcOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=un0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6890,2470573
I have taken every medicine as well to help battle this illness. I spent my career giving back to my community working at Scottsdale Osborn and St Joes. 15 years giving back to help the community.I ask that you stop denying treatment that help’s. I know what is good and not good for my body. What ever happened to listening to patient’s?
Mr. Humble,
I have not served one day in our armed services. My patriotism stems from fighting for these men and women and their mental health/stability when they return from fighting for our rights and freedoms… These brave men and women (most in opposition of these wars we fight) have earned, fought for, and deserve the right for peace of mind and emotional stability in their civilian lives or their remaining military careers. Don’t turn your back on our military the same way the VA has. Take a stand against stale conservitive ideology. And join us at the forefront of medical science. This state leaves our vets with nothing to rely on at the cost of their families and loved ones. You cant imagine the daily hell of PTSD Mr. Humble. Unfortunately/fortunately, I can! So its time you stop acting like you know whats best for a condition you cant imagine dealing with that is caused by scenarios you’ve only seen “doctored up” by hollywood. Our vets need you Mr. Humble. Their hands are humbly reaching out for an assist, not a hand out. Dont turn your back on them…
Billy Hayes, I do not agree with your confrontational tactics. Nor your outspoken way of getting attention. However, we are fighting the exact same fights and I do respect you for publicy and vocally keeping in will humble’s line of sight. We just go about things differently Billy Hayes. But we want the same results. So, Billy Hayes, I say to you: I don’t like the way you do things. It is not at all the way I do things. But I respect your tenacity, your persistance, and yes, even your results. Keep doing you Billy Hayes. It seems to be working.
Billy, if you ever need another dog in your fight who knows different angles to these same issues, please contact me. We are on oposite ends of the spectrum as far as actions taken. But that just means two dogs taking 2 paths to the same bone cover more ground faster. Ya know???
[email protected]
VIVA LA POT REVELUTION!
Grrrrrr rrufff lol
I will do me, you do you, nothing like a wolf pack or two. You should check my Facebook page, might change some of your initial opinion. Will knows I want trying to be rude, I was being sarcastic yet factual, there would be litigation. Have never been rude or disrespectful to Will, not once, in several years worth of his blog. That’s not how I work. I work in the court room, where the fight for one’s rights belongs.
😉 1 ♡
I am taking this responsibility seriously. I have read the ALJ recommendation a few times and have reviewed some articles that have been published since the Hearing including one out of New Mexico in March ’14. I expect to make a decision in early July.
Please take the time to review the articles in my top post sir, please.
There is data that simply cannot be denied. There is a connection, science says so, the patients say so, their doctors say so, it’s your turn.
A new study finds a connection between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the number of cannabinoid receptors in the brain. These receptors, called CB1, are activated when a person uses marijuana.
Researchers at New York University Langone Medical Center used brain imaging techniques to find the connection, Fox News reports. They say their findings could lead the way to new treatments for PTSD.
“There’s not a single pharmacological treatment out there that has been developed specifically for PTSD,” lead author Dr. Alexander Neumeister said in a news release. “That’s a problem. There’s a consensus among clinicians that existing pharmaceutical treatments such as an antidepressant simply do not work.”
The researchers decided to study CB1 receptors because many PTSD patients use marijuana in an attempt to relieve their symptoms, Dr. Neumeister said. Many say marijuana works better for them than legal medications.
The study included 60 participants who had a PET scan. Some had PTSD, some had a history of trauma but not PTSD, and some had neither. All participants were injected with a radioactive tracer, which traveled to CB1 receptors in the brain, and illuminated them for the scan.
The researchers found people with PTSD had higher levels of CB1 receptors in the parts of the brain associated with fear and anxiety, compared with participants without PTSD. They also had lower levels of a brain chemical that binds to CB1. When a person has lower levels of this chemical, anandamide, the brain compensates by increasing the number of CB1 receptors.
Dr. Neumeister said a new PTSD treatment based on their research should not destroy CB1 receptors, because this could lead to depression. Instead, he is working on a treatment that would restore a normal balance of the endocannibinoids in the brains of people with PTSD. Endocannabinoids are substances that activate cannabinoid receptors. He said this compound does not cause health problems seen in people who are chronic marijuana users. He hopes to start clinical trials of the medication soon.
The findings are published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, I would think that is a reputable source.
Thank you.
WIll Humble here is another study concluded in June 2014 in Isreal who’s Dr have pushed PTSD research to the for front we have today.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24935052
(Edit)
I have faced my fears and continue to find effective treatment with this medicine. Along with family support and continued counseling and therapy!I ask you to please add PTSD to list of qualifying condition for Veterans and Civilians.
Billy Hayes,
I in no way meant to be confrontational or disrespectful. You just do things differently than I. Just means we are covering more ground in and for this movement that is so much bigger than either of us.. Keep fighting the good fight brother. I dig your results and the way you interact one on one with Mr humble.
Respectfully,
An informed, registered medical marijuana patient of the state of Arizona.