The use of medical cannabis reduced military veterans’ symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder on the days they used the drug, according to recently published research. The study, which was conducted by researchers in the United States and the United Kingdom, appeared this month in the peer-reviewed journal Psychiatry Research, according to a report from online cannabis news source Marijuana Moment.
The study was conducted by researchers at U.S. and U.K. institutions including the RAND Corporation, New York University, Kings College London, the University of Southern California and the University of Washington. The research was completed with funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Cannabis Use Common Among Veterans
A team of 10 authors who wrote a paper highlighting the research reported that the use of cannabis “has been noted as a means to cope with both symptoms of PTSD and negative affect” and is “increasingly common among U.S. veterans, ranking as the most used psychoactive substance.”
The researchers wrote that their paper “aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of how fluctuations in negative affect influence cannabis use when PTSD symptoms change at the daily level, and vice versa.”
To help understand the effectiveness of medical cannabis as a treatment for PTSD, the researchers analyzed the survey responses of 74 veterans who had been recently discharged from military service. All participants had significant symptoms of PTSD and had reported using cannabis in the previous month.
Data for the study was collected through the participants’ completion of surveys and the use of wearable health monitoring technology devices. The researchers noted as one of the key findings of the study that “cannabis use links to lower PTSD symptoms and negative affect same-day,” adding that the study’s findings could eventually help veterans manage their PTSD symptoms with medical cannabis.
“Results may offer valuable insights into the dynamic interplay between PTSD and cannabis use, informing future interventions targeting affect regulation,” the authors of the study wrote.
Study Consistent With Earlier Research
The new study follows separate research published earlier this year that found that medical cannabis, particularly non-flower products, “represent a cost-effective adjunctive therapy for moderate PTSD under various reimbursement scenarios,” Marijuana Moment noted in its report. The researchers concluded that medical cannabis could be a cost-effective treatment that should be covered by health insurance companies and other medical bill payors, given certain assumptions about the efficacy and cost of the treatment.
“Our findings suggest that medical cannabis may be a cost-effective adjunct to standard care for patients with moderate PTSD,” the authors of the study wrote, “particularly when payor reimbursement partially or fully offsets treatment costs.”
The researchers assumed for the study that medical cannabis would not completely replace commonly prescribed PTSD treatments. If medical cannabis did become the primary treatment, however, it would likely be even more cost-effective.
“The possibility that medical cannabis could substitute for other PTSD medications, such as opioids and benzodiazepines, also warrants deeper investigation,” the authors wrote, “as it may yield further health and economic benefits.”
“There is real potential for medication substitution to occur for PTSD patients after starting medical cannabis,” they continued. “Prior literature suggests that starting medical cannabis, and even the presence of medical cannabis laws, decreases the prescribing of prescription opioids.”