There ’s ‘Scarce Evidence’ to Suggest Cannabis Improves Mental Health Symptoms, a New Research Review Says

Marijuana is more mainstream than it’s ever been. A growing number of states are legalizing it medicinally and recreationally; millions of people are vaping products that contain the compound THC (potentially to the detriment of their health); and non-psychoactive CBD is in everything from beauty products to seltzer water. This spring, Google searches for CBD exceeded searches for buzzy health topics like acupuncture, apple cider vinegar and meditation, according to a recent JAMA Network Open analysis. The problem: Even though many consumers turn to cannabis compounds, known as cannabinoids, to soothe issues like depression and anxiety, these substances don’t seem to do much for mental health, according to a new research review published in the journal Lancet Psychiatry. A team of Australian researchers analyzed the results of 83 prior studies that looked at medicinal cannabinoids’ effects on mental health and neurological conditions, including depression, anxiety, Tourette syndrome, ADHD, PTSD and psychosis. While they found positive results here and there—some studies showed evidence that pharmaceutical CBD-THC could lessen symptoms of anxiety and certain symptoms of PTSD, while another found limited benefits from taking CBD for psychosis—overall, the literature provided “little evidence for the effectiveness of pharmaceutical CBD or medicinal cannabis for the treatment of any of these mental health disorders,” the authors write. ...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Mental Health/Psychology Source Type: news