MARIJUANA MAY BE STUDIED FOR COMBAT DISORDER

DENVER - For years now, some veterans groups and marijuana advocates
have argued that the therapeutic benefits of the drug can help soothe
the psychological wounds of battle. But with only anecdotal evidence
as support, their claims have yet to gain widespread acceptance in
medical circles.

Now, however, researchers are seeking federal approval for what is
believed to be the first study to examine the effects of marijuana on
veterans with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder.

The proposal, from the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic
Studies in Santa Cruz, Calif., and a researcher at the University of
Arizona College of Medicine, would look at the potential benefits of
cannabis by examining 50 combat veterans who suffer from the
condition and have not responded to other treatment.

"With so many veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there
is a widely accepted need for a new treatment of PTSD," said Rick
Doblin, founder and executive director of the psychedelic studies
group. "These are people whom we put in harm's way, and we have a
moral obligation to help them."

In April, the Food and Drug Administration said it was satisfied that
safety concerns over the study had been addressed by Mr. Doblin and
Dr. Sue Sisley, an assistant professor of psychiatry and internal
medicine at Arizona, according to a letter from the drug
administration provided by Mr. Doblin.

But the letter also noted that the project could not go forward until
the researchers identified where they would get their marijuana. And
that cannot happen, Mr. Doblin said, until the project is approved by
a scientific review panel from the Department of Health and Human
Services, which includes representatives from an assortment of
federal health agencies.

If the proposal is approved, Mr. Doblin said, the researchers will
use marijuana grown by the University of Mississippi under a contract
with the National Institute on Drug Abuse. It is the only marijuana
permitted to be used in federally approved studies.

A Health and Human Services spokeswoman said the proposal was still
under review. "The production and distribution of marijuana for
clinical research is carefully restricted under a number of federal
laws and international commitments," the spokeswoman, Tara Broido,
said in an e-mail. "Study proposals are reviewed for scientific
quality and the likelihood that they will yield data on meaningful benefits."

An institutional review board must also approve the study, as well as
the Drug Enforcement Administration, Mr. Doblin said.

Getting final approval from the federal government could prove
difficult, Mr. Doblin and Dr. Sisley conceded. They said it was far
more challenging to get authorization for a study that examines the
benefits of an illegal drug than its risks.

"We really believe science should supersede politics," Dr. Sisley
said. "This illness needs to be treated in a multidisciplinary way.
Drugs like Zoloft and Paxil have proven entirely inadequate. And
there's anecdotal evidence from vets that cannabis can provide
systematic relief."

Medical marijuana is legal in 16 states and the District of Columbia.
But only New Mexico and Delaware specifically list post-traumatic
stress disorder as a qualifying condition for treatment, according to
the Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington-based group that supports
legal regulation of the drug.

Currently, nearly a third of the 4,982 patients approved for medical
marijuana in New Mexico suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder,
more than any other condition, according to the state's health
department. It is unclear how many are veterans.

One recent Army veteran from Texas who fought in Iraq for 18 months
beginning in 2006, said he used marijuana three times a day in lieu
of the painkillers and antidepressants he was prescribed after
returning home. He asked that his name not be used because Texas does
not allow medical marijuana.

The veteran, who said he had been shot in the leg and suffered
numerous head injuries from explosions while deployed as a Humvee
gunner, said marijuana helped quiet his physical and psychological
pain, while not causing the weight loss and sleep deprivation brought
on by his prescription medications.

"I have seen it with my own eyes," he said. "It works for a lot of
the guys coming home."

If the study is approved, veterans who participate would be observed
on an outpatient basis over three months, Mr. Doblin said. During two
four-week increments, they would be given up to 1.8 grams of
marijuana a day to treat anxiety, depression, nightmares and other
symptoms brought on by PTSD. Researchers would also observe the
veterans for periods when they are not permitted to use marijuana.

In addition to a placebo, researchers plan to use four marijuana
strains in the study, each containing different levels of
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a primary component of the drug. One of
the strains will also contain cannabidiol (CBD), another ingredient
thought to have an anti-anxiety effect.

Mr. Doblin said the veterans would be allowed to use the marijuana at
their own discretion. Half will be instructed to smoke the drug,
while the other half will inhale it through a vaporizer.