Trial reportPloS one2021
The short-term impact of 3 smoked cannabis preparations versus placebo on PTSD symptoms: A randomized cross-over clinical trial.
Trial report in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02759185 (Placebo-Controlled, Triple-Blind, Randomized Crossover Pilot Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Four Different Potencies of Smoked Marijuana in 76 Veterans With Chronic, Treatment-Resistant Posttraumatic Stress Disorder), which is not on this map. Cited by 35 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Placebo-Controlled, Triple-Blind, Randomized Crossover Pilot Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Four Different Potencies of Smoked Marijuana in 76 Veterans With Chronic, Treatment-Resistant Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 124 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy, effectiveness and safety of medical cannabis in PTSD: a scoping review.Journal of cannabis research · 2026Pooled it
- Cannabis use and trauma-focused treatment for co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders: A meta-analysis of individual patient data.Journal of anxiety disorders · 2024Pooled it
- Medical cannabinoids: a pharmacology-based systematic review and meta-analysis for all relevant medical indications.BMC medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Dronabinol for nightmares in post-traumatic stress disorder: a randomized controlled trial.Nature medicine · 2026Trial
- A small clinical trial of vaporized cannabis for PTSD: suggestive results and directions for future study.Trials · 2023Trial
- Investigational drugs in PTSD.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Review
- Acute and delayed effects of THC on memories of stress in healthy adults.Psychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Randomised Controlled Trial Evidence on Medicinal Cannabis for Treatment of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders: A Scoping Review.Clinical drug investigation · 2026Article
- Genome-Wide Identification of the TIFY Family inInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Cannabis legalization and cannabis use disorder in United States Veterans Health Administration patients with and without psychiatric disorders, 2005-2022: a repeated cross-sectional study.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2025Article
- Understanding the Role of Endocannabinoids in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Impaired mnemonic pattern separation associated with PTSD symptoms paradoxically improves with regular cannabis use.Npj mental health research · 2025Article
- Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 5 as a Potential Biomarker of the Intersection of Trauma and Cannabis Use.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2024Article
- [Pharmacological treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder].Der Nervenarzt · 2024Review
- The Use of Compounds Derived fromInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Cannabinoids in the Treatment of Selected Mental Illnesses: Practical Approach and Overview of the Literature.Pharmacopsychiatry · 2024Review
- Enhancing massed prolonged exposure with cannabidiol to improve posttraumatic stress disorder: Design and methodology of a pilot randomized clinical trial.Contemporary clinical trials communications · 2024Article
- Medicinal cannabis for treating post-traumatic stress disorder and comorbid depression: real-world evidence.BJPsych open · 2024Article
- Australian clinical feasibility considerations for treatment of PTSD with cannabinoid-augmented exposure therapy.The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry · 2024Article
- Assessing rates and predictors of cannabis-associated psychotic symptoms across observational, experimental and medical research.Nature. Mental health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
importanceThere is a pressing need for development of novel pharmacology for the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Given increasing use of medical cannabis among US military veterans to self-treat PTSD, there is strong public interest in whether cannabis may be a safe and effective treatment for PTSD.
objectiveThe aim of the present study was to collect preliminary data on the safety and potential efficacy of three active concentrations of smoked cannabis (i.e., High THC = approximately 12% THC and < 0.05% CBD; High CBD = 11% CBD and 0.50% THC; THC+CBD = approximately 7.9% THC and 8.1% CBD, and placebo = < 0.03% THC and < 0.01% CBD) compared to placebo in the treatment of PTSD among military veterans.
methodsThe study used a double-blind, cross-over design, where participants were randomly assigned to receive three weeks of either active treatment or placebo in Stage 1 (N = 80), and then were re-randomized after a 2-week washout period to receive one of the other three active treatments in Stage 2 (N = 74). The primary outcome measure was change in PTSD symptom severity from baseline to end of treatment in Stage 1.
resultsThe study did not find a significant difference in change in PTSD symptom severity between the active cannabis concentrations and placebo by the end of Stage 1. All three active concentrations of smoked cannabis were generally well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The present study is the first randomized placebo-controlled trial of smoked cannabis for PTSD. All treatment groups, including placebo, showed good tolerability and significant improvements in PTSD symptoms during three weeks of treatment, but no active treatment statistically outperformed placebo in this brief, preliminary trial. Additional well-controlled and adequately powered studies with cannabis suitable for FDA drug development are needed to determine whether smoked cannabis improves symptoms of PTSD.
trial registrationIdentifier: NCT02759185; ClinicalTrials.gov.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.