Long-Awaited Study Shows Cannabis Not Very Effective For PTSD

Article by Mike Adams, The Fresh Toast via Growth Op

Cannabis advocates have been saying for the past decade that marijuana is more effective in taming post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) most, if not all, other drugs. But a long-awaited, Food and Drug Administation-approved study dedicated to learning more about the efficacy of cannabis when it comes to PTSD shows this may not be the case.

Investigators found that while weed is a safe and commonly used treatment option for those with the condition, it isn’t as effective as initially believed.

Before anyone gets their backs up, they should consider that Dr. Sue Sisley of the Scottsdale Research Institute oversaw the study. Dr. Sisley has long been a vocal proponent of medical marijuana, working diligently to fight for answers regarding whether or not cannabis can help military veterans suffering from PTSD. She fought for nearly a decade to get permission from Uncle Sam to launch the research, and her team spent three years digging for answers.

But all that efforts seems to have been for unimpressive results.

Funded by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), the US$2 million study involved 76 veterans with PTSD. Some participants were given a mix of cannabis with THC levels between eight and 12 per cent, while other were provided a placebo.

In the end, researchers didn’t find any evidence that those given THC were any better off than the placebo group. In fact, participants who received the placebo reported believing they had actually been given the real thing.

“The study did not find a significant difference in change in PTSD symptom severity between the active cannabis concentrations and placebo by the end of Stage 1,” study authors wrote. “All three active concentrations of smoked cannabis were generally well-tolerated.”

Researchers suggest the quality of cannabis had something to do with the lackluster results.

Read the full article here.