Cannabis in the Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury: A Primer for Clinicians

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Our clinical experience at a specialized brain injury clinic suggests that numerous patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are using cannabis to alleviate their symptoms. While this patient population often inquires about the evidence of using cannabis post-head injury for the neurosensory, neurocognitive, and neuropsychiatric sequelae, most health professionals have little to no knowledge of this evidence. Given the recent legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada, questions and guidance related to cannabis use following a TBI are likely to become more common. This article reviews the evidence for cannabis use in psychiatric disorders with or without TBI. Overall, we found that the evidence for the use of cannabis among TBI patients is sparse and that patients tend to have little knowledge of the proven benefits and diverse effects of cannabis use. We feel this paper can serve as a stepping stone for future studies that explore the impact of cannabis use in a TBI population and can guide clinicians in advising their patients.