Medicinal cannabis for the treatment of anxiety disorders

Abstract

Background Anxiety is second most common reason for medicinal cannabis prescription in Australia and is being treated with both Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-containing and cannabidiol (CBD)-dominant products. Objective The aim of this article is to summarise recent advances in the understanding of medicinal cannabis in treating anxiety and recent trends in prescribing. Discussion Clinical trials and laboratory studies provide evidence of anxiolytic effects of CBD in healthy volunteers and clinical populations, although current evidence is insufficient to support CBD as a first-line treatment. The evidence regarding the use of THC-dominant products for anxiety is ambiguous, with exacerbation..