Cannabis Epistemology and the Case-Series Design: An Invited Commentary on a Case Series and a Dismissive Response

Editor’s Note: The publication of ‘‘Cannabidiol in the Treatment of PTSD: A Case Series’’ by Elms et al. in the April 2019 JACM proved to be one of the most downloaded of JACM articles in the last two years. Elizabeth Stuyt, MD, issues a strong challenge to the paper, in which well-known integrative psychiatrist Scott Shannon, MD, was a coauthor with Lucas Elms, BS. The rejoinder made clear that there remained a chasm between Stuyt and Shannon regarding the value in publishing a case series with its caveated positive conclusions. To sort through the perspectives, I turned to University of British Columbia cannabinoid research specialist Zach Walsh, PhD, inviting him to review the original paper and the two responses to potentially provide some guidance to the work. Walsh threads a path between the two other authors. We hope that at this early stage of the collective excitement about the potential value in cannabinoids for PTSD, with still little quality evidence, you will find this exchange illuminating. —John Weeks, Editor-in-Chief (johnweeks-integrator.com)