These Veterans With PTSD Smoke Weed, And It’s Worth The Watch [Video]

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is no laughing matter. However, it’s nice to see a few veterans have their stress levels relieved, even if for a moment.

Several states have been legalizing weed for recreational use. The latest? California.

However, weed in medical uses — such as treatment of PTSD — has been iffy, according to studies.

Yet, in the following video, you’ll see three United States military veterans, who have the condition and choose to experiment with the weed treatment.

In the beginning of the video, the cameraman asked if the veterans had smoked prior to enlisting. The man on the left mentioned that he had not, while the other two agreed they had smoked.

Although many people think PTSD isn’t as bad as veterans “pretend,” it’s quite the opposite.

Actually, one of the veterans in the video describes his personal experience as follows.

“I don’t know…it’s like the gears are grinding, you know? Something’s out of timing. For me, it is I have to process stimuli all the time.”

The man goes on to state that he’s always watching movement or feeling the temperature — smelling, seeing, etc.

Interestingly enough, he mentions that when he’s in a room with other people, he’s always counting the amount of people in that room.

Likewise, he takes mental notes regarding the way they’re walking and who’s potentially a threat.

“It just slows the whole system down. Your brain don’t think right, because you’re processing all this other junk.”

His fellow veterans agreed with him regarding those statements.

Yet, while agreeing among those descriptions, the experimental weed totally de-stressed the veterans.

They mentioned the absence of those particular concerns while they enjoyed their smoke.

Nevertheless, to give you an idea of how crucial the PTSD topic is for veterans, you should know six out of every 10 men and five out of every 10 women develop PTSD, according to the National Center for PTSD.

It doesn’t just happen to those within the military. It’s not just limited to veterans.

The source mentions as follows.

“PTSD can happen to anyone. It is not a sign of weakness. A number of factors can increase the chance that someone will develop PTSD, many of which are not under that person’s control.”

So, given this circumstance and topic, the concern has been weighed whether weed can properly treat veterans with PTSD — or anyone with the condition for that matter.

“The belief that marijuana can be used to treat PTSD is limited to anecdotal reports from individuals with PTSD who say that the drug helps with their symptoms,” the National Center for PTSD states.

“There have been no randomized controlled trials, a necessary ‘gold standard’ for determining efficacy. Administration of oral cannabinoid type 1 (CBD) has been shown to decrease anxiety in those with and without clinical anxiety. This work has led to the development and testing of CBD treatments for individuals with social anxiety, but not yet among individuals with PTSD. With respect to THC, one open trial of 10 participants with PTSD showed THC was safe and well tolerated and resulted in decreases in hyperarousal symptoms.”

Watch These #Veterans With #PTSD Smoke Weed and Discuss the Benefits of #Marijuana . #Winnipeg | https://t.co/UotYGpFb6J pic.twitter.com/akkScjMCJg

— MMJTHC (@mmjtotalhealth) November 12, 2016

Long story short, it’s not official to say that weed treats PTSD, but there have been those who claim its benefits.

However, there’s another side to the “magic dragon.”

There’s something many veterans encounter called Cannabis Use Disorder — similar to substance abuse disorder.

“The percentage of Veterans in VA with PTSD and SUD who were diagnosed with cannabis use disorder increased from 13.0% in fiscal year (FY) 2002 to 22.7 percent in FY 2014,” notes the source. “As of FY 2014, there are more than 40,000 Veterans with PTSD and SUD seen in VA diagnosed with cannabis use disorder.”

So, even though it was nice to see these veterans stress-free for a moment, is this a real option for long-term treatment?

What are your thoughts regarding weed and PTSD? Do you know anyone suffering from the condition? Feel free to share your comments in the section below.

[Featured Image by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images]