Medical Marijuana for Sexual Assault Survivors

Marijuana has been making waves lately as a potential treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Studies have shown repeatedly that cannabis is extremely effective at relieving the harrowing effects that PTSD has on sufferers. Many states, including Arizona, are working hard to add PTSD to the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana.

In making the case for the herbal medicine, we often hear about the veterans returning from war. With a reported 20% of Iraq veterans suffering from PTSD and climbing suicide rates, it’s clear to see that veterans can and will benefit from medical marijuana.

However, there is another demographic of PTSD sufferers who are rarely spoken of: sexual assault survivors.

It is reported that almost one-third of sexual assault survivors will experience PTSD sometime in their lifetime. The statistics for those who will experience sexual assault are 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men, and that’s only the ones that have been reported. A whopping 60% of sexual assaults are estimated to have gone unreported in the last five years alone. Faced with these numbers, it stands to reason that there are a great number of sexual assault survivors coping with PTSD. Cannabis can help them.

It’s important to note that sexual assault of women and men is also rampant in the military. There are soldiers returning home with the trauma of war, the trauma of sexual assault, and sometimes both.

When considering the many ways that medical marijuana will facilitate healing of PTSD, let’s not forget that the condition can affect anyone, civilian or not. Efforts must be made to bring compassionate care and relief to all sufferers of PTSD, whether they be soldiers returning home from war, or the millions of sexual assault survivors around the world.

It’s time to open up the dialogue and acknowledge the people who suffer from this trauma, and help pave the way to bring them relief.