Will Humble is a cold hearted, sadistic, uncaring jerk???
Arizona Department of Health Services Director Will Humble is a cold hearted, sadistic, uncaring jerk???
For a minute there when I read an article in the Arizona Republic that said Will Humble added PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to the list of illnesses that can be treated with medical marijuana I thought that Will Humble might actually be a nice guy who in his heart supports medical marijuana when Arizona Governor Jan Brewer isn't hovering over his head.
But when I read the above blurb from the following article coming from Will Humbles own Arizona Department of Health Services it appears that Will Humble didn't make the decision willingly and was told by a judge to add PTSD to the list of illnesses that are allowed to be treated by medical marijuana.
Will Humble initially refused to add PTSD to the list of illnesses that can be treated by medical marijuana.
The following document seems to be from the July 2014 issue of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Program Newsletter which is published by the Arizona Department of Health Services.
So I guess Will Humble is a cold hearted, sadistic, uncaring jerk.
Will Humble adds PTSD to medical marijuana list
This is the article from the Arizona Republic in which Will Humble was quoted as having added PTSD to the list of illnesses that are allowed to be treated with medical marijuana.Not the article does not mention that Will Humble was ordered by a judge to add PTSD to this list of illnesses.
Arizona official: Medical pot can be used for PTSD
A decision made by the Arizona Department of Health Services director will allow anyone suffering from PTSD to use cannabis for care. Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, The Republic | azcentral.com 6:56 a.m. MST July 10, 2014
Arizona's top health official said Wednesday that people authorized to use medical marijuana may soon begin using the drug to relieve symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, if a physician recommends it.
The decision by state Department of Health Services Director Will Humble will allow PTSD sufferers, beginning Jan. 1, to use cannabis for palliative care -- but not as a primary treatment for the disorder.
Arizona's medical marijuana law provides two ways patients can use medical marijuana: to treat specific medical conditions or for palliative care -- to make life more comfortable for those suffering from medical ailments.
The decision is a big win for medical marijuana advocates, many whom have long said cannabis is effective in treating PTSD.
In announcing his decision, Humble cited a recent study published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs that provides evidence that marijuana may be helpful in the palliative care of PTSD in some patients.
"Today I issued a Director's Decision that will authorize the use of marijuana ... for patients that are currently undergoing conventional treatment for a diagnosis of PTSD," Humble wrote in a blog post to be published Wednesday on the health department's website. "Physician certifications would be valid only for the palliative care of PTSD symptoms (not treatment). Certifying physicians will be required to attest that they have reviewed evidence documenting that the patient is currently undergoing conventional treatment for PTSD before signing the medical marijuana certification."
The new policy won't take effect until Jan. 1 in order to give health officials and dispensaries time to develop policies and procedures and educational materials, as required by the rules.
Arizona joins nine states that allow medical marijuana for PTSD, including Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, New Mexico, Oregon, Michigan and Nevada, says Karen O'Keefe, director of state policies at the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C. O'Keefe said there is a growing movement by states with medical-marijuana laws to allow those suffering from PTSD to use medical marijuana because it is seen as an effective treatment.
Humble's decision comes after an administrative law judge last month recommended state officials allow those with PTSD to use medical marijuana, reversing an earlier decision by Humble.
In the past, Humble has said there was insufficient research on marijuana's effects on PTSD.
Since the inception of the state's medical-marijuana program, veterans and medical-marijuana advocates have pushed state health officials to allow PTSD to qualify as a condition. Some veterans have told The Arizona Republic that the drug regimes their doctors have put them on are ineffective and have damaged their organs.