Veteran Mike Whiter Explains How Cannabis Can Help Veterans With PTSD | NowThis



This is the life-changing impact cannabis can have on veterans with post-traumatic stress. Ā» Subscribe to NowThis: …

35 Comments

  1. Iā€™ve been on psych meds for 2 yrs . I felt the same as you at the restaurants . I had to find a exit at every place I went . These meds didnā€™t help I tried cannibis and it triggered something in my brain I woke refreshed but I was stoned out my mind but didnā€™t have suicidal thoughts depression and living in a emotional rollercoaster

  2. i live in canada . i live with a PTSD , and now since 2013 i been helped alot , i take meds for my whole life ,but also i smoke weed and i grow with a licence . it totally saved my life . peace all !

  3. Consider a therapeutic dose of antipsychotics. For me weed by itself isnā€™t enough, but it is a fantastic adjunct. Iā€™m in TX. On paper. Will be free in 43 days. I am an FMF Combat veteran rated permanent and total.

  4. I'm a disabled veteran T.B.I(traumatic brain injury) it can work with my P.T.S.D at times unfortunately I thank God for cannabis their have been times I was thinking about battle buddies who didn't make it it was not good I didnt go outside I would just stay in my room with crazy thoughts I was not fun to be around but if I smoke I can relax somewhat granted it will never go away but bud helps with sleep too

  5. I have severe PTSD, Autism, BP issues, smoke and vape; SEVERE ADHD, GAD, SAD, and a ton of other issues. I tried weed the day I left the Army, a few weeks after that, and a couple more weeks after the second time. All 3 times I never got the munchies. I could function normally. Pervasive and invasive/ persistent thoughts were gone. I felt total relief. It needs to be legalized for ALL states. It could help so many people with PTSD and other issues.

  6. I wish this guyā€™s experiences with cannabis held true for everyone but it doesnā€™t. My dad is a Vietnam vet with severe ptsd and, having 3 Purple Hearts, he deals with debilitating chronic pain from his injuries. The number of pills the VA prescribes is insane and his heavy drinking helps and hurts at the same time. Heā€™d be wiling to take cannabis if it worked but he only recalls weed heightening his paranoia and anxiety when he tried it as a young man. It heightens my anxiety in a bad way too sounds donā€™t smoke or vape it. Weed seems to be less harmful than alcohol and opiates and anti anxiety meds and I wish it didnā€™t have the effect of exacerbating ptsd and anxiety. Glad it give some people a better alternative though

  7. Thanks for sharing your message. I hope that you are successful with your weed use and getting the V A to assist you. I stand with you as an USAF veteran and a Philadelphian.

  8. I've been verbally abused and taken advantage of by people who were supposedly trying to help me out. Created a lot of distrust, anger, and fear within my mind and affected my ability to socialize normally. Just started smoking flower and have already felt some of the fear melt away.

  9. Ya know itā€™s sad because itā€™s the same way for me. I waited too long to get help and mines got a bit out of control but I canā€™t lie cannabis really helps you calm down and not be so ā€œon edgeā€ or ā€œon the jobā€ as my therapist would say but heā€™s right itā€™s doesnā€™t go away but it becomes manageable with cannabis… in my opinion Sativa works best for me. Gives me an uplifting vibe and a sense of calmness. The pills just made me pass out on the floor, wake up, and not be able to move… it was literally the worst days of my life. Cannabis helped and Iā€™ll confess that to anyone.

  10. An ingredient in cannabis called cannabidiol or CBD can treat psychosis. Scientists conducted a trial of people with psychosis and found patients treated with CBD had lower levels of psychotic symptoms than those who received a placebo. Psychosis is characterized by paranoia and hallucinations. The study found that they were also more likely to be rated as improved by their psychiatrist and there were signs of better cognitive performance and functioning.

    The most common forms of psychosis are part of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia ā€“ which affects more than 21 million people worldwide ā€“ and bipolar disorder, but psychotic symptoms can also occur in conditions like Parkinsonā€™s disease and alcohol or drug abuse.

    The main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. It can induce paranoia and anxiety and hallucinations and has been found in studies to increase the risk psychotic illness in people who regularly use potent forms of cannabis such as skunk. But its second major constituent, CBD, has the opposite effects to THC ā€“ leading scientists to think it might one day be useful as a treatment in mental health.

    In the trial, 88 patients with psychosis received either CBD or placebo for six weeks, alongside their existing antipsychotic medication. Beforehand and afterwards, the scientists assessed symptoms, functioning and cognitive performance, and the patientsā€™ psychiatrists rated their overall condition overall.

    The study indicated that CBD may be effective in psychosis: patients treated with CBD showed a significant reduction in symptoms, and their treating psychiatrists rated them as having improved overall. Although it is still unclear exactly how CBD works, it acts in a different way to antipsychotic medication, and represents a new class of treatment.

  11. Even though ive never experienced combat in my life, certain (in my opinion) "traumatic" events in my life have left me with anxiety, slight depression, and body aches that some would consider "unbearable". When i smoke, it helps me relax, my anxiety goes away, i dont feel depressed and my body aches are dulled. I feel like i can live freely and i dont experience a mental tunnel vision.
    I have the utmost respect for every veteran and ive worked with many that say how the VA prescribes all these pills that alter their bodies. One man i know (former Marine who fought in Fallujah and Ramadi) was given pills to dull his anxiety but he came to find out those pills raised his blood pressure drastically and messed with his sleep schedule. One day i smoked with him as an experiment and just a few "puffs" in and he was as cool and collected as if nothing was wrong with him. We talked and he agreed with me that the VA should be using marijuana as a method for veterans to help handle their PTSD, the pills just alter the mind and the body too much and its a shame that all the VA does is just throw pills at their problems.
    While marijuana could be looked at the same way (just throwing something at the problem to temporarily relieve it) it doesnt affect the mind and body like pills do.
    I surely hope one day federal legalization takes place and our brave men and women can come home and use something else besides harmful pills to cope with the traumatic events they experienced while on deployment.
    Again, i never served, i love and respect all those who served (and thank you if you reading this are a veteran) but marijuana is the best method for dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, and bodily aches. The tests keep showing the benefits marijuana has and we have veterans opinions on it who wish it was an option given them.

  12. And yet Texas is still locking up Veterans and Tearing apart their families over Cannabis. We have to hide like murders and rapists just to finally feel normal again….

  13. strange how the brain works I was a big cannabis smoker and my Mental health problems are from that it does exactly the opposite to what it does to you but didn't have that negative effect on my for a decade. I can see how cannabis can work but also I know the potential other side to it which is why I am taking cbd oil without the psychoactive substance that is in cannabis. And like snakebite antivenom it relieves my ptsd but its not a cure just a reprieve. The ptsd came from someone random that I didn't know attacking me with a hammer at my own front door. I self medicated with alcohol for 20 years which helped but only with colossal amounts. I have been free of alcohol for a year but until I took cbt oil I spent all my time in absolute terror I was having hypnogogic hallucinations as soon as I closed my eyes at night I would wake in the morning with sore forearms from holding knives in my nightmares and stabbing people in self defence then it got worse and I would just be stabbing people in my dreams in a virtual revenge. I would wake up so irritable and delusional that I couldn't be near other people and I would spend the whole day with intrusive thoughts that would be unshakeable and for no reason. I find it hard to talk about when you consider what servicemen can go through but its a very real problem for everyone who suffers it, its life changing. I could only think suicide for the first 8 months I didn't see a way out. cbd oil takes the edge off the anxiety for me and slows the washing machine in the mind but its not a cure. all I can say is don't use alcohol because it makes the mind to unpredictable. I think the emphasis has to be on helping anyone who suffers from this, I have AA meetings which is a blessing the military personnel should have the same thing , the 12 step programme actually works for most mental health issues. mental health makes you isolate and become spiritually disconnected with people. Spirituality is not about hugging trees its about connecting the dots and living freely in society as we once did . To strip the spiritual away is like losing your soul without a soul the devil takes over. I thought my ptsd was schizophrenia it had so many facets to the illness I truly was a sandwich short of a picnic, the light were on but I wasn't home. whatever works for you or anybody else is what is important. Stay safe brother and massive thanks for your service I have close friends in the military who have done many tours and I can see how they suffer sadly most us civvies don't truly have a clue. I haven't had your experiences but I do know that intense fight or flight timewarp through space and new dimensions feeling and that crazy paranoia that just about never leaves. cannabis can definitely make it worse and can definitely make it better it all depends on a individuals brain chemistry.

  14. I've seen so many somewhat similar stories with veterans like Mike dealing with PTSD. Cannabis and hemp should've been globally accessible to anyone who deems it as pure help. Cigarettes, alcohol, and, especially, the pills the doctor dumps on people, don't do what cannabis can. Like Mississippi, the federal government will try every other way besides cannabis and it's disgusting how long reform for cannabis hasn't taken place.

  15. FDA strictly regulates on organic to natural remedies on dietary supplements, yet frame us with some sort of disorders, diseases, illnesses etc.. Problem Reaction Solution goes their big mobsters pharmaceuticals, it is a well designed scheme to addict & drain your bank accounts and put you on the fast-track/lane to your deathbeds.. If you truly has the needs for weeds good for you buds!

  16. Thanks for telling your story, Mike. I agree with you that to keep calling it a ā€œDisorderā€ is a problem. If itā€™s something that affects so many people maybe there isnā€™t something wrong with having a reaction to that type of trauma. Destigmatizing the this and turning it into a conversation might allow people, especially us macho vets, to get help. Whether itā€™s through therapy or weed or something else, itā€™s OK to ask for help.

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