Unlocking Relief: Medical Cannabis for PTSD Management. ​THC Lowers Fear Related Amygdala Reactivity. 

PTSD patients have been saying for years that cannabis helps with their condition. PTSD is a debilitating condition causes chronic problems like nightmares, panic attacks, hypervigilance, detachment from others, overwhelming emotions, and self-destructive behavior. In some cases, these overwhelming symptoms can even lead to suicide.

Previous research has shown that cannabis has the potential to reduce anxiety, or even prevent heightened anxiety in threatening situations. New findings states that THC modulates threat-related processing in trauma-exposed individuals with PTSD. Cannabis could help those with PTSD - by extinguishing the intensity associated with memories of their trauma.Cannabis stimulates CB1 - a receptor in the endocannabinoid system that control the area of extinction learning. Those with PTSD show impaired functioning of the endocannabinoid s​ystem - which may be why they are unable to go through the normal extinction learning process. Cannabis might be able to jump start this process - allowing those with PTSD to access extinction learning like their healthy counterparts, and curing the PTSD by helping them to move on from their trauma.