Veteran Volunteers Needed for PTSD Marijuana Study

A study is being conducted to figure out if smoking marijuana can help relieve the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. To help confirm the researcher’s hypothesis, the study will require that 76 combat veterans smoke up to two joints a day for 12 weeks.

The $2.2 million study will be conducted at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland as well as Sisley’s Scottsdale Research institute in Phoenix, Arizona.  Since not all participants will begin at the same time, the study is expected to take up to two years to complete.

According to physician and study organizer Dr. Sue Sisley, the ideal candidate will have a disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs for combat-related PTSD, but otherwise be generally healthy with no other major medical issues. Veterans with traumatic brain injuries will be eligible to participate. There candidates should still have symptoms from PTSD despite having already been treated.

The study intends to use different methods of smoking and different types of marijuana to figure out which combination, if any, helps PTSD victims with their symptoms. After initial tests and assessments, participants will be given 1.8 grams (two joints worth) of marijuana a day. Participants will be told to smoke in response to their PTSD symptoms. There are no requirements on the amount smoked at a time or how many times a participant chooses to smoke as long as they don’t exceed the 1.8 grams.

Sisley recognizes that marijuana will not be a cure for PTSD, but believes that it will at least reduce the symptoms. If her hypothesis is proven true, officials with the California-based Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) says they intend to seek use of marijuana as a federally approved, prescription drug.

If you are a combat veteran suffering from PTSD in the Baltimore area and would like to participate in the study, you can email your contact information to arizona@marijuanasites.org.

For the Phoenix area, contact 410-550-0050 to register your interest in participating.

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