By MICHAEL C. PATTERSON

In the soon to be released September 2020 issue of Journal of Affective Disorders, a study done by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, and Washington State University, Department of Psychology demonstrated that cannabis provides temporary relief from PTSD-related symptoms. However, it may not be an effective long-term remedy or cure. The link to the study is below.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032720306364

Lifetime prevalence of PTSD is known to affect approximately 8 percent of the U.S. population (over 26 million people).  PTSD among women is almost 3 times more prevalent than men. The effects of PTSD can be debilitating and even life threatening via suicides and attempted suicides. With the continued legalization of medical cannabis at the state level in the U.S., there are more citizens that can access medical cannabis. Also, with almost every legal medical cannabis state approving PTSD as a qualifying diagnosis, the options for approved medicine have never been greater. 

In order to study the effectiveness of cannabis with PTSD, researchers at University of Pennsylvania and Washington State used archival data from Strainprint, a medical cannabis technology platform with a journaling app which allows users to track changes in symptom severity as a function of their cannabis use. Data was collected 20 minutes after patients self-administered cannabis for PTSD through an inhalation method (smoking, vaping, concentrate, dab). Ingestion method for cannabis was not used due to the delayed and unpredictable uptake within the body in which some users show symptom relief in 30 minutes, while others could take 3-4 hours to experience symptom relief.

The final sample of participants totaled 404 patients (220 women, 179 Men, 8 “other”).  The participants inputed data into the Strainprint app 11,797 times over a span of 31 months (March 2017-October 2019). The symptoms the participants were asked to track were intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, irritability, and/or anxiety. 

The results from the study found dramatic decrease in symptoms for almost all participants. Symptom reductions for intrusive thoughts (98 percent reduction), flashbacks (92 percent reduction), irritability (97 percent reduction), and anxiety (93 percent reduction). The data further suggested that concentrations of THC, CBD and interactions between THC and CBD appeared to have no influence on changes of any of the four symptoms assessed.

Further data analysis revealed the following: Higher doses of cannabis (i.e. more puffs/inhalation) predicted greater symptom relief for anxiety and intrusive thoughts than lower doses. Also, the longer the study went on, participants used more cannabis per session.  This may indicate an increased tolerance to cannabis over time.

The conclusion of the study indicates that cannabis provides transient relief from PTSD symptoms, but long-term cannabis use may not improve the severity of PTSD.  In other words, cannabis is helping decrease major PTSD symptoms, but cannabis is not a cure for PTSD. 

Analysis

This study is important for what it says, but just as important for what it does not say.  No participant was found to have increased PTSD symptoms or negative side effects from taking cannabis. As a physician considering prescribing cannabis as a symptom treatment for PTSD, this is a very important factor to consider.  This study validates that cannabis is a safe medical treatment for PTSD symptoms and should be considered as a safe alternative to heavier FDA approved medications with profound side effects and addictive tendencies.

Michael C. Patterson, founder and CEO of U.S. Cannabis Pharmaceutical Research & Development of Melbourne, is a consultant for the development of the medical marijuana industry nationwide and in Florida. He serves as a consultant to Gerson Lehrman Group, New York and helps educate GLG partners on specific investment strategies and public policy regarding Medical Marijuana in the U.S. and Internationally. He can be reached at mpatterson@uscprd.com