Doping Up The Troops, Seroquel #1 High In Iraq

ABC News had an interesting piece last week in which counselors working with Iraq vets with pain, PTSD and depression issues accuse the military of overmedicating troops. In some cases, soldiers are ending up addicted to painkillers. Here's one soldier's experience:

"Spc. Alan Hartmann, a helicopter gunner in Iraq, was also prescribed a laundry list of antidepressants and painkillers to treat his emotional and physical pain after returning to Fort Carson.

"'They put me on some medications that caused me to flip out and do some pretty crazy things,' says Hartmann. 'It's just, the medication just kind of took over.'"

It's the height of disrespect and flat-out stupid to think we can medicate away the pains of war--short-term maybe, long-term no way--and it's interesting that one former Marine has turned to medical marijuana to treat his PTSD. Yes, there is actually research done by the Israeli Army showing that pot is useful for PTSD.

Speaking of marijuana, since soldiers have virtually zero access to weed or alcohol while in Iraq, a couple of Iraq vets I interviewed a few weeks ago told me that the most common prescription drug that soldiers like to zone out on in Iraq is Seroquel. "It's easy to get," one told me. As people do stateside, soldiers crush or chop the pills and then snort them.

War is hell.