Medicinal cannabis not proven in mental health, study finds

By Kate Kelland

 

FILE PHOTO: Medical marijuana plants are seen at Fotmer Life Science, in Montevideo, Uruguay September 27, 2019. REUTERS/Andres Cuenca Olaondo/File Photo

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Evidence is weak for whether medicinal cannabis treatments can relieve mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression and psychosis, and doctors should prescribe them with great caution, researchers said on Monday.

 

In a review of scientific studies that analyzed the impact of medicinal cannabinoids on six mental health disorders, the researchers found "a lack of evidence for their effectiveness."

 

Their findings have important implications for countries such as the United States, Australia, Britain and Canada, where medical cannabis is being made available for patients with certain illness, said Louisa Degenhardt, a drug and alcohol expert at Australia's University of New South Wales in Sydney.

 

"There is a notable absence of high-quality evidence to properly assess the effectiveness and safety of medicinal cannabinoids ... and until evidence from randomized controlled trials is available, clinical guidelines cannot be drawn up around their use in mental health disorders," she said as her results were published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal.

 

Despite a lack of clinical trial evidence, anecdotally some military veterans and others who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety say they have found cannabis helpful in easing some of their symptoms. Other conditions cannabis is used for include nausea, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury, but this study did not examine its impact on those.

 

Medicinal cannabinoids include medicinal cannabis and pharmaceutical cannabinoids, as well as their synthetic derivatives, THC, or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol - the main psychoactive ingredient of cannabis - and cannabidiol, or CBD.

 

"Cannabinoids are often advocated as a treatment for various mental health conditions," Degenhardt said. "(But) clinicians and consumers need to be aware of the low quality and quantity of evidence ... and the potential risk of adverse events."

 

Degenhardt's team sought to look at all available evidence for all types of medicinal cannabinoids. They included all study designs and investigated the impact on remission from and symptoms of depression, anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Tourette syndrome, PTSD and psychosis.

 

They analyzed 83 published and unpublished studies covering around 3,000 people between 1980 and 2018.

 

They found that pharmaceutical THC - either with or without CBD - made psychosis worse, and did not significantly affect any other primary outcomes for the mental illnesses analyzed.

 

It also increased the number of people who reported side effects, and the number who decided to withdraw from a study due to side effects.

 

Tom Freeman, an addiction and mental health expert at Britain's Bath University who was not involved with the study, said the findings highlighted an urgent need for high-quality trials of medical cannabis to strengthen the evidence - particularly given what he said was "significant demand" from patients.

 

(Editing by Bill Berkrot)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-10-29

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Weren't those "scientific studies" done back in the 1930's and their results shown in the documentary film Reefer Madness?

Maybe an updated version is needed now to really get the message across.

One thing the cannabinoids are good for is pain relief as many will already appreciate..!!

20 minutes ago, Geoffggi said:

One thing the cannabinoids are good for is pain relief as many will already appreciate..!!

It worked miracles with my arthritis.

4 hours ago, VillageIdiot said:

Weren't those "scientific studies" done back in the 1930's and their results shown in the documentary film Reefer Madness?

Maybe an updated version is needed now to really get the message across.

There are many countries that claim they're advanced but are still governing by emotion. I never believed my country (Canada) would ever get their act together but again they've never been in Big Pharma's pocket as much as many countries are. Because world wide research has been stymied by bureaucrats (who besides big pharma are supported by the brewers and distillers who dread of a healthy alternative to altering your consciousness) who are living dinosaurs. These stupid limited studies based on questionable research are usually funded directly or indirectly by the producers of anti depressants and anti psychotics. Thank goodness there are nations now performing legitimate research in this field. 

Well I personally did my own study once I returned to the UK. I bought a vape pen/machine and cannabis vape 2.5% then 5% my findings were it was a great help to my anxiety, very calming and relaxing relieving my PTSD. It physically lowered my hart rate. Yes there was some pain relief. I would give it a big thumbs up. Down side for me was "I was only using it Monday ~ Thursday and at night (did not want my children seeing me use it) and the vape chamber kept crystallising up and I kept losing fluid cleaning it (I think £24 a pop) so I stopped. 

Oh please, enough of this already. Weed is less harmful than alcohol. It clearly has medicinal benefits. Some people like to get high. It clearly helps many if not most people relax. Take a valium. Smoke some weed. Who cares? Aren't there more important battles to be chosen?

The potheads will have to come out with rebuttals now.

3 minutes ago, rgraham said:

The potheads will have to come out with rebuttals now.

 

They're too busy eating cornflakes at 8pm !! I love a good cereal binge after a smoke, the milk tastes amazeballs... 

16 minutes ago, rgraham said:

The potheads will have to come out with rebuttals now.

I don't smoke pot, but think it should be legalized- for a plethora of reasons.

55 minutes ago, rgraham said:

The potheads will have to come out with rebuttals now.

I bet you will drink your poison to that.

40+ years of burning daily, successful career in Telecommunications with 2 masters degrees. I argue otherwise. Hell I don't even get irrate with the numbnuts in Thailand, thanks to the herb created by God. But yet you have alcoholics criticize and call us potheads all the while they freely swallow that poison I call booze.

1 hour ago, rgraham said:

The potheads will have to come out with rebuttals now.

Not very constructive.

 

I don't drink or smoke pot. Shall I refer to everyone who drinks as a drunk?

5 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

It worked miracles with my arthritis.

https://time.com/5710682/cannabis-marijuana-mental-health/

 

5 hours ago, from the home of CC said:

There are many countries that claim they're advanced but are still governing by emotion. I never believed my country (Canada) would ever get their act together but again they've never been in Big Pharma's pocket as much as many countries are. Because world wide research has been stymied by bureaucrats (who besides big pharma are supported by the brewers and distillers who dread of a healthy alternative to altering your consciousness) who are living dinosaurs. These stupid limited studies based on questionable research are usually funded directly or indirectly by the producers of anti depressants and anti psychotics. Thank goodness there are nations now performing legitimate research in this field. 

Try looking at this... https://time.com/5710682/cannabis-marijuana-mental-health/

15 minutes ago, doggie1955 said:

Try looking at this... https://time.com/5710682/cannabis-marijuana-mental-health/

not impressed, looked at 3000? lol  They later go on to say that the research has been seriously flawed (lack of placebos etc) because it's difficult to study if illegal (bureaucratically). I'm not saying it's good or bad for mental health, I'm saying the research up till now has been substandard because of governmental demonetization. They have just scratched the surface I believe..

 

 

12 hours ago, webfact said:

Despite a lack of clinical trial evidence.....

.... I’m still prepared to give it a whirl.

3 hours ago, Crazy Alex said:

Oh please, enough of this already. Weed is less harmful than alcohol. It clearly has medicinal benefits. Some people like to get high. It clearly helps many if not most people relax. Take a valium. Smoke some weed. Who cares? Aren't there more important battles to be chosen?

Generally true. Unfortunately   for as  many as it can be  beneficial in  various aspects  there are near as many who need  to  be careful. 

I wouldn't put too much stalk in any one study.   If we look at substances that are ingested, it takes a long, long time to ascertain the benefit and the harm and to whom.   Alcohol was a magic elixir, then an evil substance, it was good for you, bad for you, and then good for you. Then it was wine is good for you, but not hard liquor, then it was both etc..

 

Then it was coffee, first it was wonderful, then it was bad, then it was good, then it caused high blood pressure, then it prevented some cancers, then it caused cancer, etc..

 

Most people take weed because it makes them feel good.   Most people drink because it makes them feel good.   Most people drink coffee because it makes them feel good.   Any of these substances may have health benefits for particular people, but in general, our usage is because we like how they make us feel.

 

 

 

Alcohol or marijuana – it does not take a rocket scientist to ascertain which is least harmful for both the person and the surrounding environments????????‍♂️????????????????????????

 

13 hours ago, Crazy Alex said:

Oh please, enough of this already. Weed is less harmful than alcohol. It clearly has medicinal benefits. Some people like to get high. It clearly helps many if not most people relax. Take a valium. Smoke some weed. Who cares? Aren't there more important battles to be chosen?

 

I like your view and agree wholly. There are more important hills to die on.