The variety of Australians using medicinal cannabis has increased over the past five years. About 700,000 Australians What is used? Cannabis for his or her health up to now 12 months.
And from 2022, the sale of medicinal cannabis has increased 4 times. But not registered with nearly all of beneficial products on the Australian market. Administration of therapeutic equipment. This means they've not been rigorously tested.
So, is medicinal cannabis protected? And is it really effective?
Our New researchThe study, published today in Lancet Psychiatry, is the biggest review to this point the protection and effectiveness of medicinal cannabis for mental health and substance use disorders.
They make up. Six of the top ten reasons Cannabis is beneficial, particularly, for: anxiety, sleep disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), insomnia, depression, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
But we have found little evidence that medicinal cannabis effectively treats these conditions. And while most unwanted effects were mild to moderate, some serious questions on safety remain.
What evidence was available?
Between 1980 and 2025, we found 54 randomized controlled trials that checked out whether medicinal cannabis reduces or treats mental health disorders (including psychotic disorders, anxiety, insomnia, anorexia and PTSD) or substance use disorders (including cannabis and opioids). This sort of trial is the gold standard for understanding the direct effects of a drug.
The commonest cannabinoid examined was cannabidiol (CBD), followed by tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and combos of THC and CBD.
CBD is non-addictive and generally safe.while THC is psychoactive, And connected Causes short-term harm, reminiscent of paranoia, and long-term, reminiscent of the event of a cannabis use disorder.
Cannabis may help people quit cannabis.
We found that cannabis medicines were no simpler than placebo in treating symptoms of psychotic disorders (reminiscent of schizophrenia), anxiety, PTSD, anorexia or opioid use disorder.
However, there are promising findings that medicinal cannabis could also be effective in reducing cannabis use in individuals with a cannabis use disorder.
Although it might sound strange, the drugs mostly consist of an oil-based combination of CBD and THC that's taken orally. Because these drugs reduce cravings, patients may use less of their usual cannabis. So for individuals who usually smoke high THC cannabis, using medicinal cannabis as an alternative can reduce their risk of related health problems reminiscent of lung conditions.
But there are limits.
We have to be careful when interpreting positive results.
For example, some evidence suggests that medicinal cannabis may help treat symptoms related to tics or Tourette's syndrome, insomnia, and autism spectrum disorder. But only a small number focused on these conditions and plenty of were of low quality.
In randomized controlled trials, we don't need participants. To find out Whether they're taking a drug or a placebo. But because cannabis is commonly addictive, participants may know what they have been given, and that could lead on to bias.
Some of those studies also reported conflicts of interest, which can have affected their results. So it is simply too early to inform whether medicinal cannabis is effective in treating these conditions.
What about security?
Combined data showed that cannabis medicines were related to mild unwanted effects reminiscent of nausea, dry mouth and fatigue.
But the danger of significant unwanted effects, reminiscent of a psychotic episode, was not higher amongst those taking the cannabis medicine or the placebo.
Statistics alone show that cannabis medicines are relatively protected. But this will likely not be reflected in real-world usage.
The average duration of treatment in these studies was just five weeks – and we all know that regular cannabis use may cause long-term harm.
A 2024 review found 1 / 4 of those that use medicinal cannabis will develop a cannabis use disorder. This is similar According to the speed of cannabis users for non-medical use.
The cannabis medicines utilized in these studies were also low in THC. But TGA figures show Australians have access to a big selection of cannabis medicines. High in THC content. Chronic use of high THC cannabis has been attached For a better risk of worsening mental health symptoms, especially amongst young people.
So what does this mean?
Similar reviews have been held In the past, nonetheless, many have focused on a small variety of health conditions and haven't combined data to disclose a single estimate.
Reviews have also generally drawn conclusions about cannabis as a mental health treatment when it was getting used to treat other conditions, reminiscent of chronic pain.
Nevertheless, our findings are largely consistent with previous reviews: there may be little evidence that medicinal cannabis is an efficient treatment for mental health and substance use disorders.
Currently, there is no such thing as a match between the research evidence on medicinal cannabis—mainly short-term trials and CBD formulations—and real-world use, which is long-term and infrequently uses high-THC products.
We need more research into cannabis medicine, especially for conditions for which alternative treatments are limited, and long-term follow-up.
As does the TGA. A review of the prescription of medical cannabis in Australiathese findings should inform future regulation. Long-term use of those drugs may end up in harm and delay using simpler treatments.
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For those that imagine their medicinal cannabis is useful for these conditions, our review isn't meant to contradict your experience.
However, we encourage you to debate your condition with a physician usually, and if possible, consider evidence-based alternative treatments.