Huge study finds no evidence cannabis helps anxiety, depression, or PTSD

Submitted ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨BrikoX@lemmy.zip⁩ to ⁨globalnews@lemmy.zip⁩

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260319044656.htm

The largest review of medicinal cannabis to date found it doesn’t effectively treat anxiety, depression, or PTSD—despite millions using it for those reasons. Researchers warn it could even make mental health worse, raising risks like psychosis and addiction while delaying proven treatments. Some limited benefits were seen for conditions like insomnia and autism, but the evidence is weak. The findings are fueling calls for stricter oversight as cannabis use continues to rise.

Study: www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/…/fulltext

Archived version: archive.is/newest/https://…/260319044656.htm

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

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MantisToboggon@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
It doesn’t fix anything, you just don’t care as much.

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- DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Right, this does depend on the criteria for successful treatment.
  
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  - bearboiblake@pawb.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Depends on the painkiller, tbf, I think there’s a Cochrane review that finds no evidence to support that paracetamol/acetaminophen is an effective medication for pain relief, if I remember correctly.
    
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- UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  “Huge study reveals ibuprofen doesn’t eliminate pain, just the sensation of it”
  
  Oh okay, I guess I should stop using it then?
  
  “Well, maybe… We need to do another huge study to confirm”
  
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  - otter@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    This time, with dabs.
    
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bearboiblake@pawb.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Weed helped me not kill myself while going through a mental breakdown with the most severe traumatic flashbacks and dissociative episodes I have ever experienced in my life. I wipe my ass with this study.

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- fiat_lux@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  It’s not the study that’s the problem here, the study clearly examined it “as the primary treatment”. This is a common science media failure, they’ve conflated “primary treatment” with “helps”, and that is not the same thing at all.
  
  Crutches aren’t the “primary treatment” for a broken leg either, but they do assist recovery by allowing someone to not use the broken leg. I’d suggest cannabis plays a similar role, it gives people the distance from the pain that they need for actual recovery, which sounds like it could describe your experience.
  
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  - bearboiblake@pawb.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
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  - CaptainSpaceman@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Cannabis is sychoactive and allows for deeper introspection to anyone attempting to reconcile their mental health.
    
    It may not be a panacea, but it is very much a great tool in the arsenal of mental health.
    
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  - Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    It’s a poor analogy. Using crutches on their own will hugely benefit some fraction of broken legs, compared to no treatment. Not as much as a cast, but it will show results.
    
    That doesn’t really work for medication. Painkillers and anti-nausea medication are poor treatments for almost any problem, but they contribute to the treatment of thousands of conditions.
    
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- The_Almighty_Walrus@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Same, if it wasn’t for weed I probably would have punched my own ticket years ago. I’ve been off it for a few months studying for a drug test and yaboi needs a bong rip.
  
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rants_unnecessarily@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
It’s not a “cure” medicine, it’s a “relief” medicine.
Like painkillers.

They don’t heal, they help lessen the negative effect of the illness to help while healing.

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- Hawk@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Yes, that’s exactly what the study says. That’s there’s nothing indicating this “relief” (= lessen symptoms) is given by cannabis. They’re not even talking about a cure, so not sure why you’re even bringing this up.
  
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  - BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Because no matter what this study concludes, far too many people know for absolutely certain that conclusion isn’t true, based on the simple fact that their personal experience contradicts it.
    
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turdburglar@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
well, that’s just like, their opinion, man.

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- real_squids@sopuli.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Image
  
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- HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  And didn’t pass peer review
  
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Omgboom@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
I mean this is obviously anecdotal, but it helped me tremendously through some of the worst trauma I have ever encountered. I don’t really give a shit what any study says.

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Laser@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Was cannabis ever a serious contender for these issues? I always considered a painkiller and against loss of appetite, but nothing psychological.

delaying proven treatments

Good luck getting treatment for depression here in a timely fashion, I think with the latest changes, people need to wait about a year for an appointment. Situation is bleak, can’t blame anyone getting a bit of relief

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- HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  It helps for gastro stuff (I haven’t paid too much attention to which, just I’m the patient they use to point to as “look! Use it for gastro” and cannabis treats all my gastro diseases). Its about time for my five year check in with the lady who does the cannabis CPE so we’ll have plenty to talk about if you want me to ask, just give me like six months to both visit and gather research.
  
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- apotheotic@beehaw.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  I think the point is that if it is the treatment given to you by your doctor without it being a stopgap, then that is delaying proven treatments. If you use it as a stopgap then that’s beside the point
  
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- Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  
  Was cannabis ever a serious contender for these issues?
  
  Honestly, that doesn’t really matter. You can test unlikely contenders too, especially in a desk study that doesn’t have any ethics problems.
  
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rosco385@lemmy.wtf ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
I don’t think weed helps my anxiety, but it does help with the side effects of the anti-anxiety medication.

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olafurp@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
To be fair, the population of this meta analysis is severely underpowered to assess whether there is an effect for rare/semi-rare conditions. (population is couple of hundred in most areas) and it shows in the confidence intervals.

A better title would be “Study unable to determine if cannabis helps or hurts anxiety, depression, or PTSD because of lack of data” which sounds less glamorous.

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dohpaz42@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Well, speaking for myself, it most certainly helps with my anxiety and depression. So they can stuff it for all I care.

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Kalothar@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Here’s the findings and interpretations from the paper

Findings

54 trials were identified for inclusion (2477 participants; 1713 [69%] males, 764 [31%] females; median age 33·3 years [IQR 28·1–38·05; ethnicity data not available). 24 (44%) of these trials had a high risk of bias, and the certainty of evidence for most outcomes was low. Our meta-analysis revealed that a combination of cannabidiol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol reduced cannabis withdrawal symptoms (SMD –0·29, 95% CI –0·57 to –0·02) and weekly grams of cannabis use (–1·00, –1·69 to –0·30) among those with cannabis use disorder, and a reduction in tic severity among those with tic or Tourette’s Syndrome (–0·68, –1·03 to –0·34) compared with placebo. Any cannabinoid type led to an increase in sleep time as recorded by an electronic device (0·54, 0·14 to 0·95) and sleep diary (0·55, 0·01 to 1·09) among those with insomnia. There was a reduction in autistic traits (–0·36, –0·66 to –0·07) among those with autism spectrum disorder. Cannabinoids led to an increase in cocaine craving among those with cocaine use disorder (0·69, 0·22 to 1·15) compared with placebo. There were no significant effects on outcomes associated with anxiety, anorexia nervosa, psychotic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and opioid use disorder. There were insufficient data to meta-analyse studies of ADHD, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and tobacco use disorder. There was an absence of RCT evidence for the treatment of depression. Meta-analysis revealed higher odds of all-cause adverse events (OR 1·75, 95% CI 1·25 to 2·46) among those using cannabis versus control group (NNTH=7) but no higher odds of serious adverse events or study withdrawal.

Interpretation

There was some evidence that cannabinoids can reduce symptoms of cannabis use disorder, insomnia, tic or Tourette’s syndrome, and autism spectrum disorder, but the quality of this evidence was generally low. Cannabinoids were associated with a greater risk of any adverse events but not of serious adverse events. Overall, there is a crucial need for more high-quality research. 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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- rants_unnecessarily@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  
  Overall, there is a crucial need for more high-quality research. Given the scarcity of evidence, the routine use of cannabinoids for the treatment of mental disorders and SUDs is currently rarely justified.
  
  I think this is the main conclusion here.
  
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  - olafurp@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Yeah, even the ones where an effect was found have a very low GRADE score (framework for assessing whether conclusions of studies should be used as guidelines) that is affected by risk of biases, directness of evidence, consistency and publication bias.
    
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bulwark@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
And might I ask who is funding this study and how are they being paid for by big pharma?

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- BrikoX@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Declaration of interests
  
  WH and MG have received consultation fees from WHO. WH has received payment for expert testimony on the risks of cannabis use. MG is an appropriate member of the Medicinal Cannabis Expert Working Group, Australian Department of Health, Ageing and Disability. MG has received funding from the Therapeutic Goods Administration for independent evidence reviews on medicinal cannabis. All other authors declare no competing interests.
  
  Acknowledgments
  
  JW and ES are supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) investigator grant awarded to ES (GNT2017346). MG is supported by a NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship (GNT2030765) and Monash Graduate Research Excellence Scholarship. JL, MT, and GC are supported by NHMRC investigator grants. TPF was funded by a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (MR/Y017560/1).
  
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- UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Plenty of Big Pharma money in producing and distributing cannibas in various forms. We’ve seen thousands of patents filed since legalization began in earnest in 2015
  
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- GreenBeanMachine@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  That trail will be well hidden.
  
  I have no doubt about them funding this, not that it will be traceable in any way. They’re not that dumb
  
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- olafurp@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  The author of the study addresses it. He mentions that a lot of studies fail to disclose funding or have a risk of bias based on funding.
  
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- Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  You could read the paper
  
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Kuori@hexbear.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
sure but the planet is dying and i’d prefer not to be sober the whole time

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- Spongebobsquarejuche@hexbear.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  The planets not dying we’re destroying our habitat. :)
  
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  - Kuori@hexbear.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    you know what i mean silly
    
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mountainbear49@programming.dev ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Fascists have been robbing people at gunpoint in their own homes with approval from a serial killing billionaire monopolist state and that article talks about pseudoscience, non-verifiable, self-report based terms like feelings of anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Facts have shown that POVERTY causes anxiety, depression, and PTSD. POLICE STATE ARMED ROBBERIES CAUSE ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND PTSD. They’re more likely to happen to people on the antagonist side of the MERCK, PFIZER, GSK MONOPOLY DRUG CARTEL. That is a fact about cannabis possession, cultivation, usage, and sale. Another relevant fact about this study would be the shadow network of BIG PHARMA serial killers with residence addresses somewhere near readers of that article and bank accounts in 0-tax jurisdictions of the likes of Panama, Luxembourg, etc. that funded putting that pile of feces into a format that looks like a scientific article. In the meantime, those unethical bastards have been selling drugs of the likes of opioids, benzodiazepines, etc. from inside hospitals near the readers of that article, drugs that have killed tens of thousands if not millions of humans per year.

P.S. That article totally omits to even acknowledge the variety of types of cannabis with widely different molecular composition profiles.

P.P.S. That article also omits to acknowledge that fact that research on cannabis consumption therapy has been happening outside the fascist states of the american-european colonial (and racist) empire and their ‘universities’ (sites of propaganda) because of a little thing called a decades-long illegal criminalization of the non-violent behavior of personal choice of consumption of a plant flower with numerous therapy applications growable with a small budget in approximately any house.

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- ThrowawayPermanente@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Dude, pass the joint, you’re bogarting it
  
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Noodles4dinner@hexbear.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
They were probably doing it wrong

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GnomeGodsGnomeMasters@hexbear.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
I’m just talking out my neck here, but as I recall from previous research I read like 10-20 years ago, it seemed that cannabis, for some, helped relieve acute symptoms in the moments after symptom onset, but I don’t think cannabis had any effect on overall anxiety long term.

Also cannabis — like literally ANY DRUG — literally fucks with your brain chemistry so uhhhhh an abundance of caution is necessary and one should really try to avoid using any mind-altering substances until their brain is done cookin’ sometime between 25-30.

Also, the causal relationship to psychotic disorders is fairly well documented at this point. Again, exercise caution if possible.

This should in no way be taken as reason to continue with cannabis prohibition, because prohibition is the devil.

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Iconoclast@feddit.uk ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
I was about to come tell how that has not been my experience at all but then I realized I read the headline wrong.

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HubertManne@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
I swear not to long ago I saw the opposite conclusion to some studies on mental illness and drugs.

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- olafurp@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  The study pretty much draws no conclusion other than “more research needed”
  
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Kwakigra@beehaw.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
There aren’t any drugs that resolve anxiety, depression, or ptsd on your behalf with nothing else. The most any drug can do is reduce feeling these things while they’re active so that the causes of the feelings may be addressed with lifestyle and cognitive changes.

Drugs are a temporary shelter from the raging storm of these issues while you re-build or build up in the first place a real shelter to experience the world from in peace and comfort. The temporary shelter blows away when the drugs wear off, and to rely on a temporary shelter permanently is no solution. That being said, plenty of people without any shelter at all don’t survive. Drugs help, but they don’t fix the problems they provide temporary relief from, you must solve those problems.

Like the study said, there needs to be more specific research in a controlled environment of these substances being used in coordination with established therapies and procedures. I have personal anecdotal experience of positive outcomes with cannabis in a robust framework addressing these issues beyond chemical means. Importantly, I may not have survived without the option to put the overwhelming desire to opt out of this planet on hold for a few hours at a time by briefly regaining my ability to feel pleasure. My psych wanted to try ketamine for this purpose, but I’m a lot more comfortable with cannabis.

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Legendz662@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Here we go with them trying to keep the lies going & sadly a lot will fall for this again

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etherphon@piefed.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Well this study doesn’t mention psychic pain or spiritual warfare so it’s clearly hogwash.

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GreenBeanMachine@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
FUCK YOUR PATHETIC PROPAGANDA!

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locahosr443@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
My experience was that weed made me accept not dealing with anything. It often made stuff worse but also allowed me to just accept that. It wasn’t fun and any claims of self medication was just an excuse not to stop.

After I did stop for a few years and actually dealt with my shit, I can now use weed guilt free. Now it’s actually nice when I use it because I’m not using it to lie to myself.

Most my stoner friends back then we’re like my pre healthier self too. That’s the problem with weed imo

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WraithGear@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
i don’t recall that weed was ever used for those things, other then just as a copeing mechanism, i think the argument is that it was better then the other narcotics by a country mile.

unless you are talking about charletons, but like we got people saying magic rocks cure cancer so like why would we need to validate their nonsense?

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nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
smoke a weed, feel euphoria for 10 minutes, then crippling anxiety for 4 hours

worst drug ever thanks

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- Obi@sopuli.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Strange because it’s the exact opposite for me, I’ll get a huge peak of death-fearing anxiety with a quick onset, especially if I do a bit too much, but then it mellows out within 20/30min.
  
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- Aneb@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  As soon as I started an effective dose of Prozac my high anxiety went away, in both senses of ‘high’ (weed high and a lot of anxiety).
  
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- Dasus@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  You need more CBD (cannabidiol) in your cannabis.
  
  Intravenous THC and cannabidiol experiment
  
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potatopotato@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Is this controlled for the fact that some people react really poorly to cannabis? For me it actually makes all three WAY worse

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LainTrain@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Yeah some people need to hear this but just it grows out of earth don’t make it medicine.

Weed just ups your heart rate, makes you hungry and eventually makes you kinda sleepy when it wears off. It doesn’t help with much of anything except draining your wallet and time into getting lung cancer.

Now real drugs might help, from SSRIs to Benzos to Amphetamines, a dash of Nicotine, maybe even psychedelic therapy for the HT2A receptor classical psychs class.

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D_C@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Isn’t microdosing ‘certain’ mushrooms one of the best ways?
I’d give it a go if I could get my hands on them.

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TacoButtPlug@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
there arw studies that thc inhibits anti-depressants. ask how i found out… :(

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Huge study finds no evidence cannabis helps anxiety, depression, or PTSD

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Findings

Interpretation

Declaration of interests

Acknowledgments