Thinking Green

Cannabis and Mental Health

By Jessica Maxwell

Patients with health conditions that qualify as outlined in the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment 98 can now find relief in the form of cannabis. The list of qualifying conditions consists almost entirely of physiological conditions ranging from cancer to severe nausea; however, cannabis remains widely underutilized in treating psychological conditions. For this reason, the ground is still shaky when it comes to suggesting cannabis as a first-line treatment option in the mental health field.

And that is something Licensed Professional Counselor Monique Martin-Hickman wants to change. Using more than 25 years of experience, she is leading the charge toward destigmatizing cannabis in her field. Once a skeptic herself, Hickman became a believer in the benefits of medical marijuana to treat certain mental health conditions after attending a professional training conference in New Mexico. There, she met other mental health clinicians from across the United States who were already using cannabis as a therapeutic tool for their patients with success.

In a perfect world, cannabis will be on the frontline of mental health treatment. It won’t be a part of a secondary conversation. Still, it will be prescribed as commonly as antidepressants and given the same weight.

Martin-Hickman recognized not only a great need, but also an excellent opportunity for patients in Arkansas because many of her patients were already using marijuana to self-medicate for drug-resistant depression and anxiety or were against the use of traditional pharmaceuticals. It has become her mission to educate patients who are existing cannabis users or new patients who are interested in trying cannabis, about how to reap the therapeutic benefits of medical marijuana. In a perfect world, she says, “Cannabis will be on the frontline of mental health treatment. It won’t be a part of a secondary conversation. Still, it will be prescribed as commonly as antidepressants and given the same weight.”

In the meantime, more research is needed to further substantiate the use of medical marijuana in lieu of traditional medications and other treatment modalities to improve mental health. Health care professionals always wish to ensure patient safety, grounded in ongoing, evidence-based practices.