Cannabis is not effective in treating common mental health issues, a new systematic review has found.
Researchers in Australia and the UK analysed 54 trials testing the “efficacy and safety of cannabinoids as the primary treatment” for mental health disorders or substance use disorders (SUDs), in what they said was the “largest and most comprehensive” review of such evidence yet.
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They concluded that there was “no benefit” of cannabis for the treatment of anxiety, anorexia, psychotic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and opioid use disorder.
There was “some evidence” that it can reduce the symptoms of cannabis use disorder, insomnia, Tourette’s syndrome and autism, they said, “but the quality of this evidence was generally low”.
“Concerning”
The researchers said cannabinoids “are increasingly being authorised for the treatment of mental disorders and SUDs”, but their review “shows little evidence of efficacy”.
“There is a substantial gap between clinical use and available evidence,” they noted, adding that it is “concerning” that the use of cannabis “could delay or replace the use of more effective therapies”.
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“Overall, there is a crucial need for more high-quality research,” they said.
“Given the scarcity of evidence, the routine use of cannabinoids for the treatment of mental disorders and SUDs is currently rarely justified.”
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It comes after a coroner found that a man with a “dependence on cannabis” took his own life after being prescribed the drug by a private clinic using “out-of-date” GP records.
The coroner said the inquest into the death “revealed matters giving rise to concern” and warned of a “risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken”.
