Vazquez-Davis 1

Gianna Vazquez-Davis
Mrs. DeBock
20 September 2016
English 4
Essential Question: Would marijuana be a better alternative to PTSD than prescription drugs?
Working Thesis: Prescription drugs are given to those with PTSD by the VA but the prescriptions
are not always reliable.
Refined Thesis: Some questions have arisen about how we should treat those with PTSD.
Antidepressants currently given to veterans are a leading cause in veteran suicide, veterans
should have access to medical marijuana, and medical marijuana does have medicinal values
Annotated Bibliography

Bischoff, Angela. "Antidepressants Can Result in Suicide." Gale Opposing Viewpoints. Gale,
2007. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.
The First article read while doing my research was Antidepressants Can Result in
Suicide written by Angela Bischoff. In the article to discusses how antidepressants have
affected her own life. Her husband of 17 years was on antidepressants when he killed himself in
March of 2004. In her own research she has come to discover that the only reason people are
given antidepressants is because it is the only drug that is covered by insurances. When patients
begin to complain that the drugs are not working doctors and pharmacist up the dosage. It has
been proven that patients on antidepressants are twice as likely to commit suicide compared to
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those who are dealing with the same issues and are on sugar pills. This articles relevance to my
research is that many veterans struggling with PTSD are prescribed antidepressants therefore
leading patients to their suicide.

Fox, Steve. "Medical Marijuana Should Be Considered as a Treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder." Gale Opposing Viewpoints. Gale, 2014. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.

The second article that pertains to my research is titled Medical Marijuana Should Be
Considered as a Treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The article discusses how
veterans are denied the one drug that has been shown to be an alternative to antidepressant drugs
that are supposed to alleviate the symptoms of PTSD. Reasoning behind veterans being denied
these drugs is due to those in the federal government who are anti-pot. For years marijuana has
gone through multiple trials to try and get the drug to be taken off the Schedule 1 drug list so
then it can be further researched by the FDA. Officials from the DEA believe that marijuana
should be further researched and the government should not deny veterans of the one medication
that has shown to be better than the antidepressants already being prescribed. This article has
significance in my research due to its content of explaining why medical marijuana has not
already been prescribed as PTSD symptom alleviation.

Grinspoon, Lester. "Marijuana Has Medical Value." Gale Opposing Viewpoints. N.p., 2003. Web.
21 Sept. 2016.
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The third but not final article in my research that I have read was by Lester Grinspoon
titled Marijuana Has Medical Value. Grinspoon discusses how marijuana affects the body.

Those with an illness that may be painful or cause them to have symptoms like insomnia, lack of
eating, headaches, and joint pain should be using medical marijuana rather than nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatories or antidepressants. These drugs have reported over 10,000 deaths each year
due to complications and overdose. Marijuana has no reported deaths due to use. Those who
have done personal studies of how marijuana affects the body when handling symptoms like the
ones stated above say that marijuana is more effective when smoked rather than ingested. This is
because it takes longer for the THC to be digested rather than inhaled. Marijuana Has Medical
Value by Lester Grinspoon relates to my research by explaining the medical values that
marijuana has and how it can treat patients who need it.