Advocates concerned New York medical marijuana rules omit approval for PTSD treatment

WATERTOWN, N.Y. (Tribune News Service) Some veterans and advocates say New Yorks newly approved medical marijuana rules have left a gap by not allowing medical professionals to provide treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

The newly finalized state regulations allow medical marijuana in non-smokable forms to treat debilitating or life-threatening conditions such as cancer, HIV/AIDS and Parkinsons disease, but not PTSD, experienced by many in the military.

Robert P. Loughhead, veterans outreach coordinator at the Vets Peer to Peer Outreach Center on State Street, said hes heard more feedback from north country veterans in favor of opening access.

They dont like the other medications they get from the VA, he said. People dont want to lose all of their emotions.

He said his patrons have told him other medications have made them lose their ability to care about things around them.

The condition list is just one concern about the state regulations, along with patient access, given the cutoff at 20 dispensaries statewide, and prices that will be set by the state and not the market.

Though a state Department of Health assessment indicated an interest by acting Commissioner Dr. Howard A. Zucker in considering other ailments, the current list is reasonable and supported by scientific-based evidence. The state gave itself 18 months from the July passage of the initial medical marijuana law, or by next January, to consider conditions such as PTSD, Alzheimers disease and muscular dystrophy.

The Department of Veterans Affairs reported 11 to 20 percent of post-9/11 service members face PTSD, with similar figures in recent studies of Gulf War and Vietnam War veterans.

Representatives of state Sen. Joseph A. Griffo, R-Rome, and Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, said they are willing to consider approving PTSD treatment with marijuana, pending the support of medical experts. A spokesman for Assemblyman Kenneth D. Blankenbush, R-Black River, said Mr. Blankenbush would have to review legislation to change the policy before making a decision. A spokeswoman for Sen. Patricia A. Ritchie, R-Heuvelton, said the senator voted against medical marijuana entirely.

Medical marijuana is legal in 22 other states and Washington, D.C. Of that group, 12 states and D.C. allow marijuana for treatment of PTSD, according to the Marijuana Policy Project, and debates about adding PTSD to lists of approved conditions for use are underway in Illinois, New Jersey and Iowa.

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Advocates concerned New York medical marijuana rules omit approval for PTSD treatment