Study to look at effects of pot on PTSD
MEDICAL MARIJUANA: B.C. researchers testing to see if cannabis really does treat mental disorder effectively
B.C. researchers are launching the country’s first large-scale clinical trial on marijuana as a treatment for a mental health condition, testing whether pot can ease the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Zach Walsh, a clinical psychologist at the University of B.C.’s Okanagan campus, is leading the study, which will put the anecdotal experiences of combat veterans to the test.
“A lot of veterans are using cannabis to help with their PTSD,” Walsh said. “What we see, unfortunately, with treatment-resistant PTSD is people will be on a combination of drugs — one thing to help with sleep, another thing to help with mood and sometimes a bunch of other stuff ... What (veterans say) cannabis does is it addresses a lot of those issues concurrently. It helps them get to sleep, it relaxes them, it helps them to function on a day-today level.”
Medical marijuana users claim the drug helps them with everything from anxiety to insomnia to nightmares, he added. At the same time, many say they don’t suffer the same side-effects as they might with anti-depressants — things like sexual dysfunction and weight gain.
“We have so many folks that suffer from PTSD for whom the existing treatments are insufficient. There are some good treatments out there for PTSD — most prominent are some of the behavioural therapies — but there are still a lot of people who suffer,” Walsh said.
The marijuana for the study will be supplied be Tilray, the Nanaimo-based licensed medical producer. The researchers are now trying to recruit participants who suffer from PTSD related to military history, work as first responders, traumatic accidents or violent crime.
The triple-blind study will include three different treatments: a placebo with the active ingredients removed, a strain containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and one with both THC and cannabidiol. The participants will receive a vaporizer to consume the drug, and get a chance to try two of the treatments over three weeks each while the researchers monitor their symptoms.
A similar study is being done in the U.S., and Walsh hopes to combine his results with those of his American counterparts to get a broader picture of marijuana’s impact.
“This isn’t about being a cannabis advocate ... It’s about testing this as a medication just like any other medication, which is really what we need to do to serve the best interests of Canadians,” Walsh said.
A decade ago, it would have been difficult to get funding or even the drugs for a study like this, Walsh said. But attitudes have evolved at the same time that medical marijuana companies have begun producing research-grade products.
“This is not a fringe issue anymore. This is something we really need answers to, because patients have been ahead of researchers and clinicians on this one,” he said.
Although this study is historic in terms of marijuana research, it isn’t the first to examine whether so-called illicit drugs can be used in PTSD treatment. Walsh was previously involved in research into the use of MDMA during therapy sessions for people trying to work through their trauma.
“The MDMA facilitates the therapy so that people feel more trusting and open with their therapist and are able to relive some of the traumatic memories — and maybe reprocess them in a way that’s more acceptable,” he explained.
Walsh has also conducted research that suggested drugs such as LSD, magic mushrooms and MDMA may help curb domestic violence committed by men with substance abuse problems.