The United States Department of Veterans Affairs clearly hasn’t been listening to Snoop Dogg much lately.

Though medical marijuana is slowly gaining traction, there is one group in particular that is still fighting to be considered in the discussion: some veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder are looking to cannabis for treatment. However, VA hospitals are not allowed to prescribe the drug due to federal regulations.

This stigma may stem from the fact that weed smokers are synonymous with burnouts, which hinders any movement forward in an effort to serve those who have served us. In New York, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand spoke out on behalf of veterans earlier this year, advocating for the government to remove administrative barriers to medical marijuana research and allow the VA to use it as a valid form of treatment.

The VA recently responded to Gillibrand in a letter, remaining firm on its stance against medical marijuana due to its classification as a Schedule I controlled substance, categorizing it with the likes of heroin and cocaine due to a high potential for drug abuse.

The response may have been founded on claims that there is not enough research to back up the benefits of medical marijuana. Like most new realms, the government wants numbers — numbers that will justify the prescription of medicinal cannabis. But these are numbers it doesn’t have, because apparently anecdotal evidence from people experiencing unquantifiable health benefits isn’t enough. To validate and destigmatize the form of treatment, there should be increased funding to study the drug. With more funding, will come more research and more results that will work to increase the acceptance of alternative medicines.

Though 23 states and Washington D.C. have legalized medical marijuana, only 13 of them recognize PTSD as an approved condition for treatment. Even so, most of the research that exists shows detrimental effects on users and abusers. This notion is interestingly juxtaposed with the reality that VA doctors are prescribing dozens of drugs to be taken by those affected by PTSD: the drugs to ward off the condition and then a series of other medicines to alleviate the side effects.

There have been numerous attempts by scientists who hope to further investigate the relationship between PTSD and cannabis use among veterans. But unlike studies involving heroin or LSD, the proposals must pass through two separate organizations for approval. And even then, the VA seemingly doesn’t want its hospitals used to recruit subjects or its facilities to do these studies. And the course of politics eclipsing scientific advancement continues.

“Essentially the problem boils down to its current classification as a Schedule I drug. As such there has been an historically low level of research to support (or to refute) cannabis use, though this is changing,” said John Milton Torrens, professor of entrepreneurial practice in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, in an email. “The biggest opposition to (medical marijuana) comes from the pharmaceutical and alcohol industries.”

With the Schedule I drug classification being the biggest impediment to permitting research, the hoops to jump through to distribute Schedule I pharmaceuticals to patients is not an easy system to navigate. And so lots of time and money are spent on phases of studies that are nothing more than getting approval from higher institutions. Even once past it, nothing is guaranteed. When there is a change in classification, the ladder to the top will be shortened and the system, rejuvenated.

Whether medical marijuana works or not, no conclusions can be made because there is a system that makes it hard for comprehensive research to get done, maintaining a vicious cycle of seemingly ineffective drug prescriptions, accidental overdoses and a lack of healing for damaged brave souls.

So we are left without answers and the voices of passionate pro-medical marijuana veterans are silenced, while the rhetoric of anti-weed know-it-all politicians is amplified.

The largest concern with prescribing medical marijuana to veterans is essentially that it will do more harm than good and ultimately won’t provide an effective cure veterans. This statement is one that is over thought. The potent drug cocktails that are being served to veterans are not the answer, and other options should be tested. To resist at least trying alternative forms of medicine in favor of what has been done and what is perceived to be right is a disservice to society, science and outstanding citizens in our community.

With marijuana there can be no accidental overdose or a diminished sense of belonging, but rather recovering veterans can integrate smoothly back into daily life once again. Meanwhile, 22 veterans continue to commit suicide every day, according to a VA study. This statistic is a warning sign that whatever the system dictates needs to be reevaluated. Any time veterans express that something works for them or something lessens the effects of serving our country, that sentiment should be paid close attention to by doctors, politicians and civilians alike.

Because mental illnesses are not always as visible as physical injuries, they have always faced more hardships in coming to the forefront of the public consciousness. If the VA were to move forward with recommending medical cannabis as treatment, PTSD would be the first mental illness to be addressed by the use of medical marijuana as a federally-recognized antidote. In this way, the VA could pave the way for wider acceptance of other mental illnesses, as well as other mental illnesses, as well as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder.

There has been progress in regard to medical marijuana legislation: the Senate Appropriations Committee passed an amendment last week that allows VA physicians to discuss medical marijuana as treatment with its patients in states where it is already legal to recommend it. This measure goes beyond acceptance and augmented access and is more in the interest of a patient’s health rather than the politics of it all.

What’s the point of championing cannabis if it’s not accepted on a federal level, leaving only holes in the system as a disservice to veterans? In Colorado, marijuana is legal both recreationally and medicinally, but PTSD is still not a valid reason for obtaining a prescription. And even states including Texas and Florida, which have two of the largest populations of veterans in the U.S., wouldn’t have access to the prescription.

“What’s important is to focus on states like Pennsylvania, California, Colorado, et cetera. They have all passed legislation allocating money to research medical marijuana and its effects,” said Marcel Bonn-Miller, assistant professor of psychology in psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. “It’s something that if we want science to keep up with policy, we need to do.”

Forward movement needs to be uniform across the board when medical marijuana is something people swear by. Cancer patients. People with chronic back pain. HIV/AIDs patients. Women with menstrual cramps. It works for them and serves as an alternative or even a supplement to the cornucopia of pills these patients may be taking.

Should we be able to make this treatment available federally for veterans would be the morally correct display of gratitude toward those who sacrificed so much for us.

Joanna Orland is a freshman newspaper and online journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at jorland@syr.edu.

 

Published on April 19, 2016 at 11:26 pm