If you have been following the growth of the medical marijuana industry in the United States over the last few years or so, then you probably are familiar with some states being much slower to adopt medical marijuana policies than others. Texas is one of those states that has been extremely stubborn about legalizing marijuana. It is true that the state of Texas has a medical marijuana program, but this list of qualifying conditions (meaning conditions that allow one to be referred to medical marijuana treatment by a physician or medical professional) is insultingly low.
Many people have made the point that the list of qualifying conditions in Texas is basically limited to patients who are near death, or who suffer from such extreme conditions that they are unable to function in normal ways from day to day. Either way you look at it, the medical marijuana program in Texas needs some work. However, we have recently had a big victory for marijuana users in Texas - legislation has passed to allow diagnosed PTSD to be treatable by medical marijuana, and subsequently, those diagnosed with PTSD are allowed to obtain a medical marijuana card. History has not been kind to people struggling with PTSD.
The first real cases that were studied in mass were those coming from World War 1 and World War 2. It is fair to say that PTSD is not just related to soldiers who have fought in combat, but also to people who have gone through very traumatic experiences and are trying to cope with what they have seen or done. PTSD was not actually listed as a mental health disorder by the ANA until 1980, which is astonishingly late in my opinion. For a long time before then, people suffering with PTSD were often called crazy or labeled as cowards that did not want to fight.
Thankfully, more research has been done into this mental health disorder that has allowed the medical and political systems to take it more seriously. For people in the state of Texas, this is a huge win. Right now, as I talked about earlier, Texas lawmakers have not been kind to legalizing medical marijuana. Currently, all medical marijuana in the state is capped at a maximum of 1%, which is much below the average in the United States looking from state to state.
So the fact that Texas is allowing a little more freedom for people with PTSD to use medical marijuana is a true miracle for many veterans in the state. Going forward, there is not a lot of hope for the legislatures in Texas to make big moves on the medical marijuana industry, but we can at least take heart in the small steps and be happy for those who will be greatly affected by these new medical marijuana policy changes.
At least we can be happy about veterans struggling with PTSD to finally have a natural, risk free, and therapeutic alternative to treat their mental health disorders. It was estimated that there are more than 2,500 military veterans with post traumatic stress disorder (also known as PTSD) living in the state of Texas. Many veterans with PTSD are considered to be at-risk for harming themselves, and a lot of research and studies show that veterans with PTSD common experiene suicidal ideation, panic attacks, substance abuse, and other issues that can destory relationships and lives.
Honestly, it is really isolating and tragic for people, especially veterans, who are struggling with PTSD and are falling through the cracks. Medical marijuana can help these people find some peace throughout their day, and hopefully help them sleep better at night.
