Data was collected at the beginning of the study and during monthly follow ups where symptoms were measured on a scale of 1–10 (1). The patients were ages 20–54, and 73% were male, and a third of the patients reported some regular cannabis use within the past five years (1). Citing a lack of research on medical cannabis as a treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD), researchers in Germany and Sweden conducted a test on the effectiveness and safety of cannabis for MDD symptoms (1). The study, “Effectiveness of Medical Cannabis for the Treatment of Depression: A Naturalistic Outpatient Study,” was published in the journal Pharmacopsychiatry in January 2024 (1). Adverse effects were gauged by a checklist and reported by a third of the patients, but the effects were not considered severe (1).

Source: Forbes February 14, 2024 11:27 UTC