PTSD Cannabis Treatment Gaining Momentum
Retired RCMP officer Steve Gloade said he never imagined during his 27-year career that he’d use cannabis – never mind a PTSD cannabis treatment.
“Being a police officer, we can tell you the street value of cannabis, and we can tell you how much time you might get or fine you might get,” Gloade told CBC News. “But I would never have remotely gathered the health benefits to it, for me, in my journey.”
Gloade works with CannaConnect, an organization that helps RCMP and military veterans understand the benefits of PTSD cannabis treatment as well as chronic pain and other conditions.
As an ambassador, he helps others understand how cannabis can help them using his own experiences. Gloade said he used to be afraid of going to sleep because of his PTSD symptoms. Cannabis has changed all that.
“I don’t think [my symptoms] magically went away, but the cannabis does something to suppress the nightmares,” he said.
There is mounting research to support that. A study released in June 2020 found that cannabis relieves PTSD symptoms temporarily. An earlier study also found that cannabis lowers rates of PTSD.
UBC professor and researcher Zachary Walsh said that more research is needed, but the results so far are promising. He underlined that PTSD cannabis treatments aren’t a cure, but it does relieve symptoms. In general, getting more sleep can help sufferers better deal with chronic conditions. In that way it might be like cold and flu medicine – it doesn’t “cure” the cold, but it helps the body rest.
“For a lot of people who are very desperate in their search for a good night’s sleep – for some relief from their PTSD symptoms – having something that can control the symptoms, even if it doesn’t get rid of the underlying condition, is a big help,” Professor Walsh said.
PTSD Cannabis Treatment Requires Overcoming the Stigma
One major contribution ambassadors like Gloade offer is helping others overcome cannabis stigma. Unsurprisingly, that stigma can be stronger in RCMP officers who spent their careers enforcing drug laws. Legalizing cannabis might be one thing, but using it themselves is likely quite another.
Gloade himself said he wasn’t comfortable searching out a PTSD cannabis treatment until he thought he was out of options. Dennis Patterson another ex-RCMP officer, felt that same sense of desperation.
“There was no help around for veterans or people struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. It was a real uphill battle for me because I didn’t know anybody,” Patterson said. “I really needed some guidance, and I wasn’t finding it.”
Both said that CannaConnect promotes a “no judgment zone” so that officers can get the help they need without fear or stigma.
“If you’re here, you’re supposed to be here,” Patterson said.
It’s stories like these that inspire and help remove the stigma of cannabis use. There are so many health benefits to be explored including PTSD cannabis treatments that any way we can overcome cannabis stigma is a good thing.
Read the Full CBC News Story Here
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