Cannabis Mental Health Treatments: The Science Behind Them
Researchers Say There Isn’t Enough Proof, But the Research is Spotty – LPC
Thousands of people can tell you that cannabis mental health treatments work for them. According to them, CBD oil, cannabis edibles, or smoking cannabis can relieve the symptoms of many mental health issues. These range from anxiety and mild depression to more serious conditions such as PTSD.
However, a recent literature review of research going back to the 1980s finds no proof that cannabis mental health treatments can work.
“There remains insufficient evidence to provide guidance on the use of cannabinoids for treating mental disorders.” That’s according to co-author Professor Michael Farrell, director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre in New South Wales, Australia.
The problem is, the research itself is flawed. Nobody has proven that cannabis mental health treatments don’t work, either.
“You’re mining old data where we know there’s not much evidence for this,” said Dr. Hance Clarke, director of pain services at Toronto General Hospital. “So I don’t know that this should be so surprising of a finding. If you’re dealing with low-quality evidence, you’re going to get that answer.”
Where is the Hard Research on Cannabis Mental Health Treatments?
Of course, the problem is that cannabis has been illegal for so long in most parts of the world. Getting a reliable supply for a big enough study to be scientifically relevant was impossible. To put it into medical terms – the research into cannabis mental health treatments may be turning up a lot of false negatives. Indeed, many researchers likely knew they couldn’t come up with conclusive evidence before they started the project because their sample size would be too low.
The way the medical system is set up though – and rightly so – is that doctors are nervous to prescribe a drug that doesn’t have enough research behind it. There isn’t even a standard cannabis unit that doctors can prescribe. And, there are known risks including the fact that about 10 per cent of cannabis users can become addicted. These and other reasons are why a cannabis prescription can be hard to get from your doctor.
Still, that doesn’t mean dismissing the benefits cannabis mental health treatments altogether.
“When you talk to individuals who tell you that they have certain mental illnesses, or they even have certain physical ailments, and they tell you the reason that they can get out of bed is because of their access to cannabis. We can’t dismiss that,” said Fardous Hosseiny, interim CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association.
Now that cannabis is legalized in Canada and is becoming more accepted around the world, more research should be coming. In fact, several researchers say that not making cannabis research more accessible is a danger to public health.
How to Use Cannabis Mental Health Treatments Safely
What it comes down to is the fact that cannabis can do different things to different people. For some, cannabis mental health treatments may successfully relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety. For others, it may make those symptoms worse. The best advice is to talk to your doctor or get a medical cannabis consultation including one found at Shoppers Drug Mart.
This editorial content from the LPC News Team provides analysis, insight, and perspective on current news articles. To read the source article this commentary is based upon, please click on the link below.
