Pubdate: Mon, 17 Mar 2014
Source: Oregonian, The (Portland, OR)
Copyright: 2014 The Oregonian
Contact:  http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/324
Author: Noelle Crombie

MARIJUANA NEWS: FEDS APPROVE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA STUDY ON POT AND PTSD

The federal government has given a green light to a University of
Arizona researcher who plans to look at whether marijuana helps
veterans with post-traumatic stress, The Los Angeles Times reports.

The feds' approval is a major development, given that research into
marijuana's potential benefits has been stymied by the government's
prohibition of the drug. The Times reports that the move by the
government may open the door to additional research into cannabis.

"This is a great day," said the Arizona researcher, Suzanne A. Sisley,
clinical assistant professor of psychology at the university's medical
school, who has been trying to get the green light for her study for
three years. "The merits of a rigorous scientific trial have finally
trumped politics.

"We never relented," Sisley said. "But most other scientists have
chosen not to even apply. The process is so onerous. With the
implementation of this study and the data generated, this could lead
to other crucial research projects."

Backers of medical marijuana hailed the news as an indication that the
government had started coming to terms with one of the more striking
paradoxes of federal drug policy: Even as about 1 million Americans
are using marijuana legally to treat ailments, scientists have had
difficulty getting approval to study how the drug might be employed
more effectively.

U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., told the Times that researchers
face "impossible burdens" when it comes to marijuana.

 From the Times:

"These are not people who are going to be involved with some
clandestine production of the drug or do something nefarious. They are
trying to do scientific research that will add to the body of
knowledge and safety," he said.

Blumenauer likes to recount the story of a doctor who works with
children who have violent epileptic seizures. The children's parents
"have found that the use of marijuana has reduced the frequency and
intensity of these horrific episodes. But because of our stupid
research policies, it is easier for the parent to get medical
marijuana than for a researcher," he said.

In, Oregon, PTSD is a qualifying condition for PTSD. It was added to
the program in 2013 after a push by advocates, who argued that
veterans deserve access to medical marijuana.
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MAP posted-by: Matt