ONTARIO, Aug 28,2020 /CNW/ (PR Newswire) – Ontario’s Avail Cannabis is launching an observational study which will seek to identify the optimal cannabinoid profile and therapeutic dose of medical cannabis oil for military veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The company will be seeking approval to publish the findings in the The Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health (JMVFH) and present the results at the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research forum in Halifax in 2021.
In light of COVID-19 public health guidelines regarding social distancing, patients will participate in the study remotely via telephone or virtually through online video. Ethics approval for the study is anticipated to come in late September. Until that time and after the studies have concluded, the locations will remain educational and health resource centers for veterans and their families.
Justin Whitehall, clinic director of Avail Cannabis says, “After months of planning between multiple organizations, we are thrilled to finally be opening our first of 6 recruitment centers, which are all situated within a few kilometers of Canadian Forces bases throughout Ontario and one in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Justin Whitehall and Military Veteran Jamie Chaplin from Midland, ON will be onsite to launch the center and answer any questions that local veterans or family members may have about the upcoming study…The remaining recruitment centers will all be launched throughout September as we wait for the proper approvals with additional releases to follow.”
All of the recruitment centers are situated inside pharmacies. Pharmacy staff members will be trailed to provide culturally competent care for Canadian military veterans. The training course was developed by a coalition of pharmacists and aims to better support military veterans. The goal is to have the course fully accredited for pharmacists across Ontario next month for when the study commences.
The first open veteran recruitment centers for the cannabis study is located 10 Maplewood Ave, North Bay, Ontario, P1B 5H2 and the official launch time is 12:00PM on Friday August 28th.
