Cannabis use in psychiatry is something that has become much more complex in recent decades.
Whether or not the drug has positive psychiatric effects can be largely based on the individual percentages of the two main compounds in marijuana: tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).
In an interview with HCPLive®, John J. Miller, MD, medical director, brain health website, Seacoast Mental Health Center and co-chair of the 2022 Psychiatric Times™ Annual CME World Conference in San Diego, explained how complicated is the guide to promote Cannabis is for patients with conditions such as depression and anxiety.
“One of the biggest problems right now is that cannabis is a very vague and general term,” Miller said. “In the early 1960s, when it was used recreationally, it was from the original plant. These cannabis strains were about 2% THC and 2% CBD.”
Miller said the CBD molecule is the part that has shown efficacy in treating conditions such as psychosis and anxiety, while also having anti-inflammatory properties.
He also said that one of the problems with current studies is that they will use the term “cannabis” without breaking down the percentages of THC and CBD.
“A lot of the literature because it doesn’t differentiate the components of cannabis it’s hard to draw evidence-based conclusions that we can apply clinically,” Miller said.