Study up

High, Ngaio. I heard that marijuana can help with post-traumatic stress disorder. Is that true?

—Sy N. Tist

Hmm, while it is still very difficult to study medical marijuana in the USA, the scientists over in Israel are kicking ass and takin’ names. OK, more like smoking grass and studying the results, but you get the gist.

A study published in the medical journal Clinical Drug Investigation last June showed that an oral ingestion of THC (they gave 10 patients 5 mg twice a day) may help people suffering from PTSD. The patients reported less anxiety, better sleep and fewer nightmares. Yes, I know 10 patients isn’t a big sample size, but if we add these results to what we already know about cannabis, this study is another step in the right direction.

There are more good reports out there lately, too. How about the study showing that traffic fatalities in Colorado are down since marijuana has been legalized; there was recently a story about it in The Washington Post. Yes, we know that correlation isn’t causation. I’m just saying, that’s all.

This isn’t a new study, but a reader commented on my column about bipolar disorder and pointed me to a study from the Zucker Hillside Hospital in New York from 2012: “Results from our analysis suggest that subjects with bipolar disorder and history of (cannabis use) demonstrate significantly better neurocognitive performance, particularly on measures of attention, processing speed, and working memory.”

Again, none of these studies are super large scale, and there are no conclusive results, but all of these studies show that cannabis can be an effective medicine. Duh.

So the bill to regulate medical marijuana top-down stalled in committee. Any other news from the Capitol?

—Wonk

Yes. Thanks to pressure from the grassroots, Senate Bill 1262, which aimed to create better regulations but really wasn’t a great bill, has been tabled until 2015. Good job, people!

Now let’s all get behind Senate Bill 1193. I hear it is doing quite well. As of this writing, the law is headed to a vote in the full Assembly. S.B. 1193 would do a few things to amend the state’s Health and Safety Code.

First, if a defendant who’s charged with a pot crime is acquitted, or if the case is dismissed, all that marijuana—and even the bongs and paraphernalia that the cops seize, would legally have to be returned. That’s a big deal—even though the pipes might need a good cleaning, and the weed might not be so fresh.

Also, S.B. 1193 would force the government to pay for damaged or destroyed marijuana, pipes, paraphernalia or whatever. Again, another big win.

I think we can all agree that this is a great idea. Hopefully, we can get it passed. Call your neighborhood lawmaker today and represent your ’hood.