According to a new study published in The Lancet Psychiatry, there is not sufficient evidence to prove that the use of medical cannabinoids improves mental health.
The study examined more than 3,000 people, who were included in more than 80 studies, between 1980 and 2018. Researchers focused on the efficacy of marijuana or cannabinoids in the treatment of six medical conditions in adults.
The researchers wrote, “There is scarce evidence to suggest that cannabinoids improve depressive disorders and symptoms, anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Tourette’s syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, or psychosis.”
They said the evidence they found was of a low standard and very limited, calling for high-quality studies in order to examine the effects of medicinal cannabinoids on mental health issues.
Given the potential risks of marijuana, the researchers concluded that the current evidence does not justify marijuana use for the treatment of mental health conditions. However, they found some low-standard evidence that medicinal tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may treat anxiety symptoms in those who have chronic pain or multiple sclerosis.
Lead study author and professor Louisa Degenhardt from the University of New South Wales, Australia, said, “Our findings have important implications in countries where cannabis and cannabinoids are being made available for medical use.”
She has predicted that nations permitting the use of medical cannabinoids are more likely to see an increase in demand and use, suggesting that doctors should recognize the risk of using medical marijuana for mental health issues because the current evidence is limited.
Prof. Degenhardt said, “Those who decide to proceed should be carefully monitored for positive and negative mental health effects of using medicinal cannabinoids.”
It has already been found that the use and availability of medical cannabinoids are growing across the world, especially for mental health issues, raising concerns because previous studies have suggested that non-medical use of cannabis increases the risk of depression, anxiety, and psychosis.
The researchers pointed out that the study had a few limitations and more studies are required to strengthen the evidence.
Tom Freeman from the University of Bath, UK, said that the study has highlighted the paucity of good quality data on the efficacy of cannabinoids in treating mental health issues. He said, “Given the significant demand for access to these medications from patients, further research is urgently needed to strengthen the evidence.” “There is a notable absence of high quality evidence to properly assess the effectiveness and safety of medicinal cannabinoids, compared with placebo, and until evidence from randomized controlled trials is available, clinical guidelines cannot be drawn up around their use in mental health disorders,” concluded Prof. Degenhardt.
