Apollo, a clinic that currently prescribes medical marijuana for post-traumatic disorder (PTSD), is undertaking a study that will assess the efficacy of medical cannabis for PTSD.
Researchers are calling upon over 300 participants including veterans and first responders diagnosed with PTSD to enroll in a cross-Canada study that will not only test the effects of certain strains of medical cannabis, but also determine the safety of medical cannabis to reduce PTSD symptoms including nightmares, flashbacks, estrangement, as well as detachment from other people.
“This research study is a passion project and it is timely given the national attention that is being given to Veterans, First Responders and to mental health awareness overall,” says Bryan Hendin, President of Apollo Applied Research Inc. “There has been a lot of anecdotal evidence and now it’s time for validated research.”
Hendin adds that studies are currently stalled in the United States due to lack of federal approval of using cannabis for testing. “Strains of medical marijuana are classified as a Schedule 1 drug, which is tightly controlled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This presents a challenge for conducting studies with American veterans who are struggling with PTSD,” he says. “Canada is positioned to be a leader in medical cannabis research.”
“We are doing a large-scale observational study, evaluating patients’ outcome and we are using validated measurement to evaluate the outcomes,” says Hendin.
In a brief interview with IHP Magazine, Hendin said recommended methodology for this study is vaporization. Because the temperature in a vaporizer exceeds 250 degrees, many patients find it uncomfortable to inhale hot steam and have an option of using cannabis oil instead.
Hendin mentions that last year, it was illegal for patients to consume cannabis orally—something that has changed with the Supreme Court’s decision that found this limit unethical.
“The doors are opening and patients have much more opportunity to consume cannabis in a variety of ways—ethically and legally.”
According to Health Canada and the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations, only an authorized healthcare practitioners can prescribe medical cannabis, and they include “physicians in all provinces and territories, and nurse practitioners in provinces and territories where supporting dried marijuana for medical purposes is permitted under their scope of practice.”
