Israelis go to Pot

Wed Aug 4, 2004 2:27 PM ET

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli soldiers suffering from combat stress after tours of duty in the Palestinian territories could soon be treated with cannabis to relieve their symptoms, the Israeli army said.

"The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) medical corps, in cooperation with the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, is introducing the use of THC, the active agent in the cannabis plant, which helps relieve post-traumatic stress disorders, on an experimental basis," an army statement said, confirming a report in the Maariv daily.

Maariv said the mental health department of the Medical Corps was set to to begin tests on volunteers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after reserve duty.

Hundreds of Israelis have been treated for combat stress after performing their mandatory national service in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The scientist who will help conduct the experiment, heads a research team which discovered that cannabis helped mice which had suffered physical stress, and had even reduced the risk of stroke, Maariv said.

The army said the use of THC, which stands for tetrahydrocannabinol, had been approved by a military and a civilian committee.

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