TROOPS TAKE POT SHOT TO EASE TRAUMA

JERUSALEM - Israeli soldiers traumatised by battle with the Palestinians
have a new, unconventional weapon to exorcise their nightmares -
marijuana. Under an experimental program, Delta-9 tetrohydrocannabinol
(THC), the active ingredient found in the cannabis plant, will be
administered to 15 soldiers over several months to fight post-traumatic
stress disorder.

Raphael Mechoulam, of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the project's
chief researcher, described the program as a world first. He said the
chemical could trick the brain into suppressing unwanted memories.

For soldiers haunted by flashbacks of traumatic battle experiences, he
said, the drug, administered in liquid form, could be the answer to
endless sleepless nights.

"It helps them sleep better, for one thing. These people often wake up
from nightmares, and experience sweating or hallucinations," he said.

Doctors already use marijuana to treat nausea in cancer patients,
appetite loss among AIDS sufferers and neurological disorders such as
Tourette syndrome, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.

Dr Mechoulam said this was the first use of THC to treat
post-traumatic stress.

Israel's army usually frowns on cannabis and soldiers caught smoking
it can expect to be stripped of their rank or thrown into military
jail. Special government authorisation was needed for the experiment.