Medical Cannabis Researcher Addresses Legionnaires

August 28, 2016

Medical Cannabis Researcher Addresses Legionnaires

Dr. Sue Sisley, medical researcher from the Scottsdale Research Institute in Arizona, addressed The American Legion Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation (VA&R) Commission about the importance of treating military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with medical cannabis.

Dr. Sisley is currently facilitating the first U.S. clinical trial evaluating the medical cannabis use to treat combat related PTSD.

“Veterans are exhausted and feel like guinea pigs; they’re getting desperate,” said Dr. Sisley. “I could never reach that level of relief with traditional medications, so I knew I had to keep going,” added the former Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) psychiatrist and assistant professor at University of Arizona College of Medicine.

Dr. Sisley’s presentation can help influence the passing of Resolution 11, which originated from the Department of Louisiana and is being introduced by the VA&R Commission at this year’s national convention.

“There are a lot of tools that are not being utilized. Big pharma does not want them used. Here is an opportunity for The Legion to step forward and help [veterans] who are suffering from PTSD,” said Past National Commander Bill Detweiler and Chairman of The American Legion’s PTSD/TBI Commission.

Seeking answers for veterans plagued by combat-related medical conditions is nothing new for The American Legion. In 1983, the Legion sponsored a six-year, independent study by Columbia University that established the effects of exposure to Agent Orange on Vietnam War veterans.

The American Legion is the largest wartime veterans service organization with 2.2 million members in more than 13,000 posts in communities across in America. The Legion, established by an act of Congress in 1919, was instrumental in getting the original GI Bill through Congress and the creation of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

 

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