Cannabis could be helping Canadians deal with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a study has shown. 

The research, based on health survey data collected by Statistics Canada from over 24,000 people, was carried out by researchers at UBC and the BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU). 

Its central finding was that those with PTSD who do not take cannabis are much less likely to suffer severe depression than those who do. 

Cannabis users with PTSD are also less likely to have suicidal thoughts, the study – published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology – shows. 

“We know that with limited treatment options for PTSD, many patients have taken to medicating with cannabis to alleviate their symptoms,” said lead author Stephanie Lake, a research assistant at BCCSU and a PhD candidate at UBC’s school of population and public health. 

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“However, this is the first time that results from a nationally representative survey have shown the potential benefits of treating the disorder with cannabis.”

The data show that among the 24,089 people in the health survey, 28.2% of those suffering from PTSD use cannabis. 

That is compared to 11.2% of people without PTSD. 

Those with PTSD who do not use cannabis were found to be about seven times more likely to have experienced a recent depressive episode and 4.7 times more likely to have thoughts of suicide when compared to people without PTSD.

Among cannabis-using respondents to the survey, meanwhile, PTSD was not associated with suicidal thoughts or recent depressive episodes. 

“We’re only just beginning to understand what the therapeutic potential of cannabis may be for a variety of health conditions,” said senior author Dr M-J Milloy, research scientist at BCCSU and Canopy Growth Professor of Cannabis Science at UBC. 

“These findings are promising, and merit further study in order to fully understand the benefits of cannabis for people living with PTSD.”