PTSD Marijuana Study Now Recruiting Veteran Volunteers

If you live in Maryland or Arizona, and you're a veteran, you could volunteer to smoke two joints a day for a new study designed to find out how pot might treat PTSD.The study, paid for by the state of Colorado, will be hosted at both the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore,Maryland, and Sisley’s Scottsdale Research Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. The study plans to include 76 participants, with just four new members starting every month.[caption id="attachment_7436" align="aligncenter" width="534"]

(Photo: Courtesy of Scottsdale Research Institute)[/caption]

Participants will be able to use up to 1.8 grams of marijuana a day, and will be given a pipe to smoke it with (the study will not utilize vaporizers of any kind). They will have no restrictions on when or where they smoke it, so long as they do not exceed that amount. Following three weeks of that regimen, the participants will have to go weed-free for two weeks before going back on the regimen with a different type of marijuana. These different strains may be higher in THC, CBD, or you may get a placebo.Dr. Sue Sisley, the organizer for the study, told the Military Times that,“We’re not arguing that cannabis is a cure, but our hypothesis is that it will at least reduce the symptoms.”More than 100 veterans have already applied to be part of the study, but you can still inquire. If you're in Arizona, send a message to arizona@marijuanasites.org. If you're close to Baltimore, MD, you can call 410-550-0050 and let them know you're interested in participation.Formal enrollment is set to begin in September.