This archive report was first published on 29 October 2019.
Published on October 29, 2019, a study in The Lancet Psychiatry has raised concerns about the use of cannabis for mental health issues.
Researchers analyzed 83 previous studies on medical cannabinoids, including products from the cannabis plant, and found insufficient evidence to support their use in treating six common disorders: depression, anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, Tourette syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, and psychosis.
Lead author Louisa Degenhardt from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales in Sydney noted that the rapid spread of legislation permitting cannabis use for medicinal purposes often occurs outside of standard regulatory frameworks.
The study found that while some studies showed improvement in anxiety symptoms, it was unclear whether this effect was due to improvements in the primary condition. In one small study of patients with psychosis, pharmaceutical THC actually worsened symptoms.
There are also safety concerns, including the risk of developing dependence on cannabis, increased risk of depression and psychotic symptoms, and the risk of prosecution and unknown product content when obtaining the drugs through the illicit market.
Experts emphasize that medications proven to be effective and non-addictive already exist for many of the conditions being treated with cannabis.
