FDA Approves Clinical Trial To Study Marijuana’s Effects For Veterans With PTSD

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A clinical trial to examine whether smoking marijuana can be used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, Stars and Stripes reports.

The five-week study will be conducted by a not-for-profit company in California, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studie (MAPS).  320 veterans diagnosed with moderate to severe PTSD will smoke cannabis at home and then rate their PTSD symptoms by using an app that they download on their cell phone or another mobile device.

Funded by the Michigan Veteran Marijuana Research Grant Program,  the study is designed to investigate the inhalation of high-THC dried cannabis flower, versus placebo cannabis, with the daily dose being self-titrated by participants.

Researchers will use marijuana from Canada with a high level of THC that closely matches the legal products sold domestically.

The FDA had delayed the trial since 2021 due to concerns that included the health effects of allowing people to inhale high-potency cannabis. But MAPS said the federal agency has now allowed the research to move forward.

“After three years of negotiations with the FDA, this decision opens the door to future research into cannabis as a medical treatment, offering hope to millions,” the organization said in a statement.

PTSD affects veterans who have experienced traumatic events in combat and causes conditions including anxiety, anger and flashbacks as well as nightmares and depression.

36-year-old Hether Zeckser, a former corporal who served in the Marines from 2007-2011, has used marijuana to relieve her PTSD symptoms and is now an advocate for cannabis research.

“This study is extremely important to me as a veteran because other medications I use do not work on my symptoms,” said Zeckser.

“I look forward to the outcome of this research,” she added. “I would like to see cannabis approved as a PTSD treatment and get health care coverage for the costs.”

“Our veterans are in dire need of treatments that can ease their challenging symptoms of PTSD,” said Sue Sisley, M.D., the study’s principal investigator. “In my own practice, veteran patients have shared how smoking cannabis helped them manage their PTSD symptoms more than traditional pharmaceuticals. Suicide among veterans is an urgent public health crisis, but it’s solvable if we invest in researching new treatments for life-threatening health conditions like PTSD. ”

A veteran’s PTSD symptoms will be assessed at the start and end of the treatment. Former service members selected for the clinical trials must have prior experience smoking cannabis. They also must agree to limit their cannabis use to the doses provided for the study.

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