American military Veterans account for six percent of the population. As of 2023, almost 80 percent of those Veterans served during wartime, according to Pew Research.
This kind of service can evoke severe post-traumatic stress disorder. About 23 percent of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have severe PTSD. This condition can create nightmares, flashbacks, and distress.
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Weaving together cannabis and PTSD research
Research has shown that cannabis may provide short-term PTSD relief, but the fact that it does not last could indicate a need for more intervention with this group. This study analyzed how cannabis use and talk therapy impacted PTSD severity, insomnia, anxiety, and depression in Canadian veterans who had experienced trauma and/or chronic pain. The results showed that weed did help reduce PTSD symptoms, but only for a short period of time.
Another paper explains that one-third of senior veterans who consume cannabis have cannabis use disorder (CUD). The cross-sectional study polled 4500 veterans aged 65 to 84 from 2020 to 2023 through surveys given at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). They found that 10 percent of Veterans had used cannabis in the previous 30 days, and a third of this group had cannabis use disorder.
Cannabis use disorder in veterans
Odds for CUD diagnosis were higher for those on the younger end of the age spectrum. Veterans who had anxiety, difficulty performing care tasks, and illicit drug use in the past few months were also at higher odds of getting a CUD diagnosis. Frequent smoking of cannabis, rather than vaping or eating edibles, was another indicator of higher odds for CUD. The paper concluded that questions about cannabis use should be asked at VHA intake meetings to mitigate CUD.
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CUD is categorized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) with criteria like withdrawal, tolerance, increasing quantity or frequency of use, persistent desire to temper use paired with an inability to follow through, spending time recovering from the effects of cannabis, spending lots of time obtaining products, giving up activities because of it, continuing despite a medical condition, hazardous use, voracious cravings, and continued use despite interpersonal issues caused by it.
The disorder was added to the DSM in 2013 when the fifth edition was released. Before then, there were two diagnoses: cannabis abuse and cannabis dependence. The criteria are bound to evolve with the release of the next edition. That aside, this paper asserts that some veterans who seek relief with cannabis may be more apt to be diagnosed with CUD.
How to move forward
When the statistics about cannabis for PTSD and veterans with CUD are matched, it seems that the plant could be a good tool, but not a quick fix. If cannabis provides short-term relief from PTSD symptoms, then using it too long over time without treating the root cause may lead to CUD. Veterans with PTSD dealing with comorbidities might require therapy or other treatment options alongside pot to avoid developing dependence.
Supporting American Veterans means meeting them where they are. Including cannabis queries in intake meetings at VHA is a solid road there.
