Military Times 3/19/2021
The first FDA-regulated, placebo-controlled, double-blind study on smoked cannabis among veterans with diagnosed PTSD revealed improvements among those receiving doses with higher levels of THC, an active component in the herbal drug.
Published March 17 in the journal PLOS ONE, the peer-reviewed paper compares results of PTSD treatment in three cannabis combinations, as well as a placebo control group.
The study, conducted by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, or MAPS, indicated levels of improvement among participants using smoked cannabis blends with a 9 percent THC concentration. Improvements were also found using samples containing 11 percent CBD, as well as a sample containing 8 percent THC and 8 percent CBD. A fourth group, which also reported improvements, used a placebo.
THC, or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, is the intoxicating, or psychoactive, ingredient of cannabis strains that produce the euphoric “high†effect. CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of the non-intoxicating cannabinoids in the cannabis plant. CBD-only products have been widely adopted in multiple states for medical, therapeutic and recreational uses.
“This study served as the first randomized placebo-controlled trial comparing the therapeutic potential of varying ratios of THC and CBD for treating symptoms of PTS,†said Dr. Marcel O. Bonn-Miller, lead author of the study.
Bonn-Miller said the next step is to conduct larger, randomized, placebo-controlled trials that would help determine the “minimally-effective doses of THC needed to safely treat individuals suffering from PTSD while also mitigating risks of cannabis dependence in this vulnerable population.â€
More:
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2021/03/19/fda-regulated-study-shows-promise-for-using-marijuana-to-treat-veterans-with-ptsd/
