It's now up to Gov. Christie on whether medical pot can be used for PTSD
A bill that would let victims of post-traumatic stress disorder use medical marijuana passed the New Jersey Senate on Monday. An identical bill was approved by the Assembly on June 16, so the measure now awaits Gov. Christie's consideration.
/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-pmn.s3.amazonaws.com/public/2Q22AJHPZZDXREUSFUWLHDQ6DU.jpg)
A bill that would let victims of post-traumatic stress disorder use medical marijuana passed the New Jersey Senate on Monday. An identical bill was approved by the Assembly on June 16, so the measure now awaits Gov. Christie's consideration.
"Veterans - especially post-9/11 veterans - are the group most affected by PTSD," Sen. Vince Mazzeo (D., Atlantic) said in a release. "The VA has stated that it wants each veteran to find the medication with the least amount of side effects that allows them the optimum level of independence. For many, medical marijuana is the drug that best fits that criteria."
PTSD is a mental health condition that causes anxiety and sleeplessness associated with a frightening memory. Patients who suffer from PTSD as a result traumatic events, including a sexual assault, childhood neglect, abuse, a natural disaster, exposure to combat, or other life-threatening incidents, can have flashbacks, nightmares, emotional distress, and suicidal thoughts.
The bill adds PTSD to the list of about a dozen debilitating medical conditions that qualify a patient to enroll in the state's six-year-old medical marijuana program. Pennsylvania and Delaware already include PTSD in their list of conditions.
To qualify for medical marijuana in New Jersey, the patient's PTSD symptoms would have to be resistant to conventional medical therapy, which generally combines psychotherapy with antidepressants and antianxiety medications, the bill states. To use medical marijuana, the patient also would have to be recommended by a physician with whom the patient has a bona fide physician-patient relationship.
Gov. Christie has not said whether he will sign the bill. In the past he has vetoed some medical marijuana bills, saying he does not want to expand the program, but he also has signed two bills that allow children with seizures and other serious ailments to use edible marijuana and to use it while in school.
856-779-3224 @JanHefler