Sparse evidence for cannabis to treat mental health conditions highlights research gap

"The analysis turned up no evidence that cannabis can help with symptoms of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder or depression—the psychiatric conditions that medical marijuana users most often mention when asked why they're taking the drug. Insomnia, autism and tic or Tourette's syndrome had more supporting data, though even that evidence was deemed 'low quality' by the authors."

"We clearly need to do more research on cannabis medicines. In the absence of evidence at this time, the routine use of medical cannabis products really should be rarely justified for the treatment of mental health disorders."

"The new analysis represents the largest effort yet to systematically parse all the data from randomized-controlled trials on cannabis and mental health. A team of researchers in Australia looked at more than 50 clinical trials, considering a wide range of conditions, formulations and types of cannabinoids."

A major systematic review of over 50 randomized-controlled trials examining cannabis and mental health found insufficient evidence that cannabis effectively treats anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder—the most commonly cited reasons for medical marijuana use. While insomnia, autism, and Tourette's syndrome showed more supporting data, researchers classified even this evidence as low quality. The analysis, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, highlights a significant gap between public adoption of cannabis for mental health and scientific validation. Researchers emphasize the need for more rigorous studies and note that routine medical cannabis use for mental health disorders lacks adequate justification based on current evidence. Federal scheduling restrictions have historically hindered comprehensive cannabis research.

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