ISRAELI TROOPS TAKE POT SHOT TO EASE TRAUMA
Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2004 11:26 am
(Source:Sydney Morning Herald)
04 Oct 2004
Israel
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JERUSALEM - Israeli soldiers traumatised by battle with the Palestinians have a new, unconventional weapon to exorcise their nightmares - marijuana. Under an experimental program, Delta-9 tetrohydrocannabinol ( THC ), the active ingredient found in the cannabis plant, will be administered to 15 soldiers over several months to fight post-traumatic stress disorder.
Raphael Mechoulam, of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the project's chief researcher, described the program as a world first. He said the chemical could trick the brain into suppressing unwanted memories.
For soldiers haunted by flashbacks of traumatic battle experiences, he said, the drug, administered in liquid form, could be the answer to endless sleepless nights.
"It helps them sleep better, for one thing. These people often wake up from nightmares, and experience sweating or hallucinations," he said.
Doctors already use marijuana to treat nausea in cancer patients, appetite loss among AIDS sufferers and neurological disorders such as Tourette syndrome, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.
Dr Mechoulam said this was the first use of THC to treat post-traumatic stress.
Israel's army usually frowns on cannabis and soldiers caught smoking it can expect to be stripped of their rank or thrown into military jail. Special government authorisation was needed for the experiment.
04 Oct 2004
Israel
-------
JERUSALEM - Israeli soldiers traumatised by battle with the Palestinians have a new, unconventional weapon to exorcise their nightmares - marijuana. Under an experimental program, Delta-9 tetrohydrocannabinol ( THC ), the active ingredient found in the cannabis plant, will be administered to 15 soldiers over several months to fight post-traumatic stress disorder.
Raphael Mechoulam, of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the project's chief researcher, described the program as a world first. He said the chemical could trick the brain into suppressing unwanted memories.
For soldiers haunted by flashbacks of traumatic battle experiences, he said, the drug, administered in liquid form, could be the answer to endless sleepless nights.
"It helps them sleep better, for one thing. These people often wake up from nightmares, and experience sweating or hallucinations," he said.
Doctors already use marijuana to treat nausea in cancer patients, appetite loss among AIDS sufferers and neurological disorders such as Tourette syndrome, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.
Dr Mechoulam said this was the first use of THC to treat post-traumatic stress.
Israel's army usually frowns on cannabis and soldiers caught smoking it can expect to be stripped of their rank or thrown into military jail. Special government authorisation was needed for the experiment.
