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Earlier this week, Annals of Internal Medicine published a study/review titled 'Benefits and Harms of Plant-Based Cannabis for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review.' The purpose of the study was "to identify ongoing studies and review existing evidence regarding the benefits and harms of plant-based cannabis preparations in treating PTSD in adults." As it currently stands, posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD for short, is a qualifying condition for medical marijuana in over 25 states from New Hampshire to Arkansas. Despite how many believe cannabis to be working for them, it seems that this recent medical review disagrees.

We're firm believers that no one bites the hand that feeds them...so chances are there was only one possible conclusion for this study.

Related: Colorado Finally Recognizes PTSD as a Qualifying Condition

The primary source of funding for this study was the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, however the study claims that the role of the 'funding source' "had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication."

Conclusion of the Review

We won't bore you with their data selection methods or otherwise...we'd rather skip to the chase. The systematic review "found insufficient evidence regarding the benefits" of marijuana for those with PTSD. Additionally, they tried to knock existing evidence down a peg by saying that "the body of literature currently available is limited by small sample sizes, lack of adjustment for important potential confounders, cross-sectional study designs, and a paucity of studies with non–cannabis-using control groups."

There's Still Hope...

Not to worry, there's still hope for proof that cannabis does in fact help those suffering from PTSD. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment recently funded a clinical trial to determine the effects of smoking 4 different types of cannabis with various tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol concentrations on PTSD symptoms in veterans.

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