The federal government has finally given the green light on a study looking at marijuana to treat military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
The decision was handed down from the Department of Health and Human Services and comes after decades of effort from marijuana advocates trying to legalize the drug. The groundbreaking study will examine the effects of five different doses of smoked or vaporized marijuana in treating symptoms of PTSD in 50 veterans, Huffington Post reports.
The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies has been one of the chief supporters for the legalization of marijuana for medical research. And now the group can finally purchase the drug from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the only federally sanctioned source they can buy it.
“MAPS has been working for over 22 years to start marijuana drug development research, and this is the first time we’ve been granted permission to purchase marijuana from NIDA,” the Boston-based group said in a statement.”
While doctors have long believed marijuana may hold the key to calming an over stimulated brain, they now have the opportunity to conduct research on the theory. And with between 11 and 20 percent of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with symptoms of PTSD, the study couldn’t come any sooner.
[ Huffington Post ]
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