In new research, scientists suggested that cannabis might be helping Canadians to tackle the effects of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). In an examinations of health survey statistics assembled by Statistics Canada from over 24,000 Canadians, investigators from the BCCSU (BC Centre on Substance Use) and UBC (University of British Columbia) discovered that individuals have PTSD but do not medicate with cannabis are more tend to suffer from suicidal thoughts and severe depression compared to those who used cannabis in the past year. The findings of the study were published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. This study is the first to note the links amid cannabis use, PTSD, and severe mental health results.
Stephanie Lake—Research Assistant at the BCCSU—said, “We know that with restricted treatment alternatives for PTSD, a number of patients have opted to medicate with cannabis to ease their symptoms. Nonetheless, this is the first time that the outcomes of a countrywide representative survey showed the latent benefits of curing the disorder with cannabis.” The data was gathered from Statistics Canada’s 2012 CCHS-MH (Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health) that involves Canadians aged 15 Years and older. Amongst 24,089 eligible participants, 420 reported of a present clinical identification of PTSD. In total, 28.2% of people with PTSD reported cannabis use in the past year compared to 11.2% of those without PTSD. Researchers discovered that PTSD was considerably linked with a recent major depressive incident and suicidal ideation in people who don’t use cannabis.
On a related note, lately, a study showed that cannabis use disorder is reducing amongst young teenagers and young adults. The occurrence of cannabis use disorder lowered in 2002–2016 among regular users, as reported by a new study carried by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. The alterations in communal attitudes and the characteristics of frequent users can explain the reduction, according to scientists. The study findings were published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.