On December 17, 2014, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (DPHE) awarded MAPS a $2 million grant for our planned study of marijuana for symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 76 U.S. veterans. Colorado’s Medical Marijuana Scientific Advisory Council recommended that MAPS receive the grant on November 24. MAPS was chosen to receive the largest of eight grants awarded by DPHE at Wednesday’s meeting. All of the other grantees are major research universities. “As the very first public funding that MAPS has ever received in our 28½ year history, the award clearly shows that attitudes are improving about research into the therapeutic benefits of Schedule I drugs,” said Rick Doblin, Ph.D., MAPS Founder and Executive Director. “It’s a big step forward for cannabis science and medicine.” Despite the award and prior Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Public Health Service (PHS) approval, the study still faces obstacles, most importantly the lack of information from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) about when they will be able to provide the marijuana for the study. Learn more…
