New research challenges widely held assumptions about medicinal cannabis, particularly in mental health care.
A sweeping new analysis published in The Lancet Psychiatry challenges one of the fastest-growing trends in modern medicine: the use of cannabis-based treatments for mental health. After reviewing a vast body of clinical evidence, researchers found no reliable support for using medicinal cannabis to treat anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The findings arrive at a time when cannabinoid prescriptions are rapidly increasing, particularly in Australia, where approvals have surpassed one million and sales have surged over the past four years. Despite this growth, researchers say the science has not kept pace with demand.
Dr. Jack Wilson of the University of Sydney’s Matilda Centre, who led the study, said the results suggest clinicians and regulators may need to reconsider how these products are used in mental health care.
“Though our paper didn’t specifically look at this, the routine use of medicinal cannabis could be doing more harm than good by worsening mental health outcomes, for example, a greater risk of psychotic symptoms and developing cannabis use disorder, and delaying the use of more effective treatments,” he said.
Mixed Evidence Across Other Conditions
More than 700,000 Australians report using medicinal cannabis to manage over 250 different conditions. The analysis found limited evidence suggesting possible benefits for some uses, including cannabis use disorder (also called cannabis dependency), autism, insomnia, and tics or Tourette’s syndrome.
Dr. Wilson said, “But the overall quality of evidence for these other conditions, such as autism and insomnia, was low. In the absence of robust medical or counseling support, the use of medicinal cannabis in these cases is rarely justified.
“There is, however, evidence that medicinal cannabis may be beneficial in certain health conditions, such as reducing seizures associated with some forms of epilepsy, spasticity among those with multiple sclerosis, and managing certain types of pain, but our study shows the evidence for mental health disorders falls short.
“In the case of autism specifically, while the study showed some evidence medicinal cannabis could assist with a reduction in symptoms, it is worth noting that there is no one – or universal – experience of autism, so this finding should be treated with caution.”
Substance-Use Disorders: Benefits and Risks
The review found that medicinal cannabis does not work for all substance-use disorders. While it may help reduce cannabis dependence, it was also linked to increased cocaine cravings in people with cocaine-use disorder.
“Similar to how methadone is used to treat opioid-use disorder, cannabis medicines may form part of an effective treatment for those with a cannabis-use disorder. When administered alongside psychological therapy, an oral formulation of cannabis was shown to reduce cannabis smoking,” Dr. Wilson said.
“However, when medicinal cannabis was used to treat people with cocaine-use disorder, it increased their cravings. This means it should not be considered for this purpose and may, in fact, worsen cocaine dependence,” he said.
Researchers urge greater regulation for prescribing of medicinal cannabis
The rapid rise in prescribing and use of medicinal cannabis has drawn concern from major medical organizations, including the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia. These groups have pointed to weak regulation and ongoing uncertainty about how well these products work and how safe they are.
In response, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) launched a review of medicinal cannabis regulation, publishing more than 500 submissions in February.
“Our study provides a comprehensive and independent assessment of the benefits and risks of cannabis medicines, which may support the TGA and clinicians to make evidence-based decisions, helping to ensure patients receive effective treatments while minimizing harm from ineffective or unsafe cannabis products,” Dr. Wilson said.
Reference: “The efficacy and safety of cannabinoids for the treatment of mental disorders and substance use disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis” by Jack Wilson, Olivia Dobson, Andrew Langcake, Palkesh Mishra, Zachary Bryant, Janni Leung, Danielle Dawson, Myfanwy Graham, Maree Teesson, Tom P Freeman, Wayne Hall, Gary C K Chan and Emily Stockings, 16 March 2026, The Lancet Psychiatry.
DOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(26)00015-5
The research was funded by the NHMRC. Wayne Hall and Myfanwy Graham have received consultation fees from the World Health Organization. Wayne Hall has received payment for expert testimony on the risks of cannabis use. Myfanwy Graham is an appropriate member of the Medicinal Cannabis Expert Working Group, Australian Department of Health, Ageing and Disability. Myfanwy Graham has also received funding from the Therapeutic Goods Administration for independent evidence reviews on medicinal cannabis. All other authors declare no competing interests.
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70 Comments
I say it’s too early to dismiss it’s usefulness in this situation with anxiety.
I am an attempted murder suriver, rape victim and single mother. I have been plagued by anxiety for years. I am on medication, but sometimes if things happen it gets out of control.
Until recently my job tested for Marijuana and I didn’t use it.
Recently I tried low dose 10mg gummies after a really bad day. It worked. I calmed down and woke up feeling great. I since have used it sparingly for this reason and have found relief 30 years from suffering.
Is it a cure all? No, it is not. But it definitely should not be dismissed and it does have anti anxiety abilities if used correctly.
As a 20 year habitual smoker who is in the process of quitting I will say every person and situation is different.. smoking verses edibles completely different type of high… I’m a couple months from turning 54 and I will say it doesn’t work for me the way it used too.. and let’s face it alcohol companies are certainly going to tell you it’s bad for you because it’s hurting there business… case to case basis try it if it doesn’t work then don’t use it.. I will tell you stopping a Marijuana habit is a lot easier then opioids meth or alcohol..
Hello, As a 45 yr. Old professional female who has used recreational cannabis every single day for the last 30 yrs of my life, I can say that my usage definitely helped me get through all of my symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD. I am a single mom who went back to school part time online and got my BA to now work in the corporate world of accounting. I couldnt have gotten to this point in my life without using cannabis every single day. I also think these studies don’t include enough specific info on the cannabis used, in order to fully rate if the cannabis use has truly helped the symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD. None of these studies include the type of cannabis used, THC amount, termpines amount, and CBN amount, to effectively determine if it helped the symptoms people have experienced with depression, anxiety and PTSD. More research needs to be done on this because different strains of cannabis affects every single person differently. In my experience of using cannabis daily for the last 3 decades, I have found that the type of cannabis I use provides me with different results, so I have tried many many different types of cannabis strains to see which ones seem to help my personal symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD. Having all 3 of these mental health struggles, I can speak from personal experience.
You are absolutely correct in saying this research hasn’t fully divulged processes used to determine the outcome they are saying. Where’s the supporting evidence to come to their conclusion?
I agree. I lost a son in 2016. My B.P. was 240/140. One B.P. medication I was allergic to damaged my kidneys, an anti-depressant sent me down a dark hole I thought I wouldn’t return from. My mental state was unbearable until a friend suggested cannabis. I may not be here now if it wasn’t fir cannabis. I think the study isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. FYI, unfortunately edibles have no effect on me.
I’m 67 and I have been smoking on and off since 16. I found out for me Willie Nelson’s brand helps me with anxiety and depression. It doesn’t make me have munchies or sleep. I laugh and go for 3 mile long walks. Do my chores. I’m tired of all the BS. On these stupid studies. The Stevia and Indica crap I don’t waste my money on. Trial and error is what helped me. Willie knows .
I am living proof of its efficacy on severe seizures. Went pharmacy way in the beginning, Dilantin, Depekote, Depekene. Dilantin initiated sleep apnea 🤔 I grow my own medicine and have been seizure free 10 yrs.
That’s ridiculous. There is nothing that works better for me and I certainly would prefer to use it to treat my own rather than take the drugs they would otherwise prescribe. Miss even one dose of those pills and you’ll find yourself in worse shape than you ever felt before taking them.
Better to suffer the pain of stones in the world than to suffer from being stoned in the world. Being high may place one hanging forever in the firmament to be burned by the sun and frozen by the moon, but not being high and may root one to the Earth, so that one should fall to the darkest abyss of the ocean and become one with the luminescent sea creatures of the deep. To weed or not to weed, that is the question.
This guy weeds.
Right on. These “studies” are contrived and in no way accurate. The alcohol industry hates cannabis because it might take away some of their ill gotten and poisoning profits. Cannabis is a natural solution for anxiety, pain, PTSD and helps with the horrible side effects of chemotherapy.
So spot on! Facts and it’s great for Cancer and Seizures. This plant is so discriminated against esp by Alcohol Companies. They finally made marijuana legal for medical purposes then assigned our State Alcohol Board over the entire Operation. How crazy is that?
I am getting so sick of this uptick in studies trying to slander this substance. It helps ME more than prescription medication and without the negative side effects. Regulation doesn’t need to be stricter, because it shouldn’t be illegal to begin with. It’s healthier than other LEGAL substances. This uptick in articles trying to bash this substance is starting to feel like a coordinated attack to steer people away from that. Considering the alcohol industry is currently facing it’s lowest profits since the prohibition, because younger adults now PREFER cannibas over alcohol, it makes sense. I guarantee you the reason hemp products are about to be illegal is because it’s cutting into alcohol profit margins and they lobbied our government to bail them out.
At the end of thr day it doesn’t matter if the medical benefits are scientifically real. If it helps people and they aren’t hurting anybody while doing it, ADULTS should be allowed to use it. I should be able to take a 15 milligram gummie when I get home from work if it helps me relax. My body, my choice…right?…
I totally agree I’ve suffered from panic disorder and severe depression and it’s helped me .I won’t take their drugs no way.
I honestly think they’ll say anything against it just to try & discredit it.! Such bs.!! Cannabis DEFINITELY helps with depression, ptsd, etc.!
I’m glad you found something that is helping your symptoms.
I agree! I know for a fact that THC/CBD Cannabis helps with Anxiety, PTSD, ADD in some cases! Stop making up things and stick with the Medicinal facts!! Everyone is different so don’t dismiss the definitive Hemp works! 😇👍💯
How can you test that and get that out of it have you tested everybody on earth who smoke or takes edibles??? No you haven’t and I can tell you it bells me a whole lot I have lost a life in life and without Marijuana I be probably dead locked in a mental hospital or locked up in prison there is different strains they all work for something
Exactly, this study is bullsh*t
Why haven’t pharmaceutical scientist used cannabis to make a cream to apply directly to pain areas. I don’t relish the idea of damaging my lungs for pain relief. Has it been considered, is this possible??
Eat some gummies
I am a former pothead ,alcoholic with depression. I have been clean n sober 38 years now. Very grateful
I agree with those who say every person is not going to respond the same.
I always thought that everyone who drank has the same response as I did with alcohol. I learned differently. There are those who addict and those who don’t.
Pot use for me caused me to create my own reality. Actually I was living in a false reality. Hurt me with education. Could not perform and understand math, sciences, music, or anything. This may not be true for everyone but it was for me. Just like not everyone who drinks desires another one or wishes to seek out excitement as it did with me. Or degrade ones morality.
I encourage people to read the book “Smokescreen” I found it enlightening.
I believe there is a possibility that CBD might be of medicinal value to some. However, most people seek high THC. If you can genetically produce pot high in THC , IT should be possible to produce pot low in THC and high in CBD. And regulate these amounts.
Regulation is necessary. How do you know what you are purchasing and what has value and what doesn’t? Who grew it? How was it grown? How was it stored? Is it free of mold and pesticides? I believe Dr’s prescribing marijuanna could be doing more harm than good. This can be said of many of the legal drugs being pushed and marketed for all kinds of conditions. ” Legal Drug Pushers are as bad as the South American drug Cartels! Just listen to the prime time news advertisements!!!
I would like to challenge this article and this theory they claim in any science lab or court room that this article is false information….
Please feel free to reach out
These studies are all bs i smoked for 20 years and I can tell you it helps with almost every problem except for asthma and allergies. If you test people who have never smoked or haven’t in a long time of course your study will show increase paranoia, anxiety, and so called “psychosis” people are weak minded. They get paranoid and have emotional outrage when you take their phone away
I left smoking behind years ago but about 2 years ago I was hit by a Dodge Ram and other meds screwed with my soul had me buying oiiji boards and watching some dude talk antichristian jive and one day I tried gummies and it stopped the pain and the tingling from sciatica and my soul doesn’t feel like seeking out negative Jesus stuff, now I seek him.
I don’t know why people wanna ram their pills down my throat and other people’s throats 🤔
If they are so good let them take em leave me alone with that dangerous dope 😡
That’s exactly what big pharma wants… Take our synthetic drugs and don’t take anything natural because it doesn’t make them any money. Sure, herb is not for everyone. I’ve seen people myself have panic attacks and things like that. But all of the breakthrough stories I know about people in pain who have never used marijuana, this is a medicine that they have to write articles like this to throw people off. If everyone was on thc, we’d be questioning all these wars and pesticides in our food. They don’t want that.
My brother was a habitual marijuana smoker and ended up with CANNABINOID HYPERESIS SYNDROME .LOOK THAT UP !!!! Scary STUFF HOSPITALIZED
OKEAY, … HURDUR!!!!! WEE .
THINGS PLACES
TOTALLY AGREE 110%
It may work for some,NOT FOR ME, I’VE TRIED SATIVA AND OTHER STRAINS AND NO CANNABIS HAS HELPED!! Paranoia and anxiety is all I get now,no thanx, I’ll stick to beer.
Sativa isn’t a strain, and the one you shouldn’t have smoked. Screaming with caps like a child isn’t going to make you smarter.
Sativa isn’t a strain, and the one you shouldn’t have smoked. Screaming with caps is bad for you.
With all the compounds located in each plant and each plant being its own combination of different compounds to make such a blank statement, just shows the ignorance of this study. It also reflects the ignorance we have about marijuana. But as you will know the pharmaceutical and alcohol industries are all in to make marijuana illegal again because of the positive impact it has had on alternatives to very destructive alternatives such as alcohol and pharmaceuticals.
Thankyou, well said
Agree 100%.Like many have concluded since the plandemic its often the opposite of whatever they say especially if it comes fr government.We all know too well docs who treated patients with vitamin D which they came to prove most deaths from covid people were all deficient in had turned patients around with high doses and treated with ivermectin either lost their license or simply resigned bc they wouldnt follow the b.s. Both ivermectin and vitamin D are inexpensive and now low and behold GP docs are advising patients to take vitamin D.Latest studies show how effective ivermectin is for cancer patients.Just an example of how they want you doing whatever benefits the pocket book.
sponsored study by Johnson and Johnson usda proctor and gamble joke
Wait a second- this study was only conducted based on patient/consumer feedback via survey. While surveys can be useful, they can also be biased and unreliable. This study doesn’t include clinical trials.
this explains a lot lol
Paid for by big pharmaceutical
I’m a weed vape smoker been at it 55 years and love it! I’m 65 with copd. Cmt AS and pain throughout my body! Nothing going to take this away from me! They can keep the pain pills it messed me up bad!
;Didn’t read the article as I’m sure it’s riveting. I’m sure it’s a cool story. Man made beer god created weeds. Whom do you trust.
What a lie 🤥
I think the study is right, but the language might be the issue. It might not formally be a primary treatment for those thing, but it can certainly still help without being a clinical treatment. The standard for clinical is higher and measured differently, but don’t mean it doesn’t help certain people. It just might not be good for a standard for primary treatment for the general public, but might be good for supplemental or secondary. I do both to treat anxiety, my Lexapro works great for all around, but nothing is like weed for relieving my social anxiety and other things.
Theu didn’t do any study, they used most likely AI to scrub through 40 years of other people’s work and took info from them all. It says that 44% of studies theu looked at were most likely biased. So without took biased bogus info and then came to a conclusion based off an AI writeup.
They also claim cannabis use will help reduce cannabis use but increase cocaine cravings. Nothing in this study should be taken as legit with a paragraph like that. Then they say although we didn’t test for this it could very well increase psychosis. This is clearly an anslinger era paper. Reefer Madness 2026
Maybe, but its great for writing killer riffs.
Definitely on the Pro list for an artistic brain.
Take it with a grain of salt. This is government funded research. In the US, the government has a long and storied history of deliberately obfuscating the truth about cannabis, in part by doing things like forcing researchers to only procure it from their super special DEA farm with thc so low it might as well be “hemp.” And then going “SEE? WE TOLD YOU IT DOESN’T WORK!” I know this is Australia but im sure their government like ours has plenty of reasons to not move towards legalization. Probably mostly economic ones.
LIES LIES LIES ISREAL HAS BEEN STUDING Marijanna for over 50 yrs It does help anxiety and depression! THARS WHY IVE BEEN SMOKING OVER 50 yrs !
Big pharma bs.
This study is BS. Cannabis is extremely effective for managing PTSD, Anxiety & Depression. I’m prescribed cannabis because it works!!
Who cares? Drugs should be legal because no one has any right to tell you what you can do to your own body. Drug prohibition is tyranny. Coercion is an immoral violation of our natural right as sapient beings to liberty.
Ruby Stone is three stone upon the society and not just one so limitlessly and Tangled for the spider webs we leave with the stone behavior Can upon others fall like the articles of a large bowlers and the bowling balls swelling swiftly to become one with one’s knees as if you never walk again.
Better to suffer the pain of stones in the world than to suffer from being stoned in the world. Being high may place one hanging forever in the firmament to be burned by the sun and frozen by the moon, but not being high and may root one to the Earth, so that one should fall to the darkest abyss of the ocean and become one with the luminescent sea creatures of the deep. To weed or not to weed, that is the question.
I used to love marijuana…. until I watched it destroy my life and my family’s life. My (ex) husband is now homeless, no job, no grip on reality, his main priority is making sure he has his weed. He started using it for back pain but the back pain is still there with a whole bunch of new problems. He’s destroyed relationships and lives in his own world. All because of weed. Everyone had their story, their excuses, their own reasons but I still think it needs to be regulated just like and other controlled substance because of the potential side effects. Some people literally freak out and go bonkers after smoking weed and let’s face it the weed today isn’t the same shit that people has “been smoking for 20 years”.
Let’s face it, weed does different things for different people and no two cases are the same. That goes for EVERY single person with any condition vs any other person with the same condition. Pharmaceuticals do not work the same on every person prescribed regardless of the claims. We are all wired differently. Some people are just not wired to use anything without becoming dependent. Others can use daily and not develop dependency. As for believing Marijuana is addictive, no, I don’t believe that. I’ve battled addiction to cocaine, heroin and alcohol. I lived to tell the tale. And through it all I smoked weed. I still do, at 62. I know what addiction is and if I run out, well, I run out. I dont run out and sell everything I own or commit crimes just to get more weed. As for people who claim weed ruined their or someone else’s life through addiction, let me say this; it’s not the weed that’s the problem. It’s the person. Likely there is another issue or addiction hidden behind that excuse. Like I stated above, some people are just not wired to use it.
There are so many misconceptions about weed in all its forms that any “study” that claims “definitively ” to find anything one way or another is not actually the whole truth. It just cant be. Unless they test every single person who ever has, currently does or might in the future use it, they cannot determine a damned thing 100%. The best is a guess. And a guess is not scientific proof of anything. So until they study every person, every strain, every method of thc consumption and every single individual result I will not be convinced by any of it.
And neither should anyone else.
Another study funded by big pharma? 🙄
My comments won’t post but this site is saying I’m spamming. Hilarious.
This is all mostly untrue propaganda and needs to be taken down immediately. The tone and wording is completely off.
This article is completely irrelevant. If you read the comments then it is obvious that medical cannabis is a Hugh help for many conditions. I had cancer and my entomologist said it would help and certainly did. No studies needed for the simple fact of life.
Jerry, quit seeing a insect scientist / researcher for your cancer… LOL
I’m wondering if this is a case of competing for medicine $$$ big pharma versus natural herb medical marijuana. Compared to big pharmas medicine’s and side effects versus medical marijuana and side effects.. I’ll pick something the people themselves could grow and use for self help or go to local medical marijuana dispensary than big pharma and medicines from other foreign countries.
As a guy who struggles with PTSD, I can say it definitely helps me.
Bedtime is often a struggle as my brain replays events over and over again in the silence and darkness.
THC turns my brain off in a way that I can’t focus my thoughts and I forget what I’m thinking about as I’m thinking about it.
Before you know it, I’m out.
Wayne Hall and Myfanwy Graham have received consultation fees from the World Health Organization. Wayne Hall has received payment for expert testimony on the risks of cannabis use. Myfanwy Graham is an appropriate member of the Medicinal Cannabis Expert Working Group, Australian Department of Health, Ageing and Disability. Myfanwy Graham has also received funding from the Therapeutic Goods Administration for independent evidence reviews on medicinal cannabis.
The problem is inherent to both the studies and lack of understanding of mental health. You’d basically have to have a study full of me’s for it to be useful lol. Part of my “mental health” is being extraordinarily aware of self. I’ve talked with multiple physiatrists so I’m not just talking out of my butt lol. I can tell you exactly how something effects me, underlying reasons I’m after one feeling not the other etc. there’s lots of commorbidities in mental health, I can accurately describe which are primary and which are just resulting from those. Most people don’t work that way, biases or fears or denials interfere , preconceptions about what has or hasnt worked all interfere with the results. essentially just knowing your in a study will throw off the results. This works on both sides of the argument – weed can be a huge help, but there’s also no better placebo
Weed affects some people differently, and no two people suffering from the same mental health condition will suffer it in exactly the same way.
My wife used marijuana to calm her anxiety. It worked until it didn’t.
One day she took a few hits, watched an old TV show that she really liked and was having a pleasant evening. Then we watched a documentary about that TV show, and she saw how very old the few people who acted that show who were still alive to talk about it looked. She went into a complete spiral thinking about aging and death.
She said, “well, I can’t watch that show baked anymore”
Only, now every time she smoked even a little, instead of feeling relaxed and at ease, she would worry about everything. It went from preventing anxiety attacks to causing them.
I’m not saying this to discredit the stories of people with good experiences. Just reassuring the people who didn’t get any sort of benefit for their mental health from THC that they aren’t alone.
I find that interesting, but true. I for one love Marijuana….but it doesn’t ease anything for some. For one, marijuana is not a pain killer. In fact if you have a toothache, all getting high does is make you focus on the pain more. I also have a bad back and a bad neck….surely doesn’t fix that either. Now if you’re just sore(not to be confused with REAL pain) then yeah okay, I buy that brand maybe. What I mean is marijuana has it’s uses when used properly, but let’s not make it into something it’s not either. Having said that , I also don’t think it’s a dangerous drug either… It does however lower motor skills, make you lazy if used daily, and the worst that’ll happen is you’ll go to sleep. Lol. It all depends on the person and how it’s used
I find it odd that lancet the the journalism company who published this their parent company received a 30 billion funding package from Massachusetts financial co. Who also funds a bunch of different anti-weed programs.
Am I missing something like bias?
It may be true that some clinical conditions of depression and ptsd don’t respond to Cannabis treatment. But to say that it’s universally ineffective is just false. Who are they fooling? Clickbait maybe?
That’s what I’ve been saying for over 20 years. As a US Army veteran, I suffer from PTSD, society) anxiety and depression (seasonal affective disorder). I was an avid smoker of marijuana over 20 years ago and actually had to stop using pot entirely due to the intensifying effects it had on my mental health disorders. Instead of calming my nerves, smoking weed would exacerbate my anxiety to the point of triggering panic. As a result, this would make me much more susceptible to PTSD triggering events. The cumulative effect, in turn, caused me increased depression. I don’t know how anybody with these types of mental health disorders can benefit in any way by treatment regimens with marijuana or products containing THC.
The problem with this study is stated right at the beginning. They’re not utilizing the whole plant/flower. Just cbd/thc taken from the flower. I’ve gone thru i don’t know how many different antidepressants and antipsychotics to treat my mental health, and I have yet to find something that works as well with fewer side affects. Bonus; it battles my chronic pain at the same time!