Israel to Treat Soldiers With MarijuanaAugust 9, 2004 While
the United States government continues to stonewall research on marijuana as medical treatment, Israel is
sanctioning a study of the drug using military volunteers. The
medical arm of the Israeli army has joined Hebrew University in studying
the effects of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, to treat Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder. Hundreds of Israelis have been treated for
combat stress after performing their mandatory national service in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip. "In
Israel, unlike in the United States, compassion for human suffering
takes precedence over drug war ideology," says Rick Doblin, Ph.D,
president of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic
Studies (MAPS), which is working
to develop marijuana and MDMA into prescription medicines. "In the
U.S., the federal government has a monopoly on the supply of marijuana
that can be used in research. It uses that monopoly to limit and
obstruct research into the benefits of marijuana. It's tragic that the
U.S. veterans suffering from PTSD from the Iraq war have given so much
for their country only to be repaid in hypocrisy and callous disregard
for their suffering." |