SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (WATE) – The Drug Enforcement Administration approved a study on the benefits of using using medical marijuana as treatment for post traumatic stress disorder in US veterans, according to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS).Related:VA study of service dogs for vets with PTSD faces questions

This is the first time US government agencies have fully approved a clinical study using smoked botanical marijuana. Also, the study was approved by the Federal Drug Administration.

76 US Military veterans will participate in the blind clinical study which is being funded by a $2.156-million grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

“We have been working towards approval since we opened the Investigational New Drug Application (IND) with the FDA in 2010,” says MAPS Public Benefit Corporation executive director Amy Emerson. “We are thrilled to see this study overcome the hurdles of approval so we can begin gathering the data. This study is a critical step in moving our botanical drug development program forward at the federal level to gather information on the dosing, risks, and benefits of smoked marijuana for PTSD symptoms.”

The study could eventually lead to marijuana prescriptions for veterans.