By Matthew Perrone | AP
The federal government has signed off on a long-delayed study looking at marijuana as a treatment for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, a development that drug researchers are hailing as a major shift in U.S. policy.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ decision surprised marijuana advocates who have struggled for decades to secure federal approval for research into the drug’s medical uses.
The proposal from the University of Arizona was long ago cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, but researchers had been unable to purchase marijuana from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The agency’s Mississippi research farm is the only federally-sanctioned source of the drug.
Statement by Ryan Hurley: “This is a historic shift from the federal government regarding research into the efficacy of medical cannabis. It is long overdue and welcomed by scientists and veterans suffering from PTSD.
“Unfortunately roadblocks still remain to this study in Arizona. Currently, PTSD is not an approved condition under Arizona’s medical cannabis law because DHS says the research does not exist to approve it, and it has been unwilling to allocate existing surplus medical marijuana funds to enable such research. The Arizona Legislature has the opportunity to rectify this by approving HB 2333 to fund Dr. Sisley’s research at the University of Arizona, however the bill is currently stalled in the House Education Committee.”
Related: Government approves medical marijuana research at University of Arizona
UA Study on Pot and PTSD Could Impact Arizona’s Medical Marijuana Program
