New peer-reviewed study of 1,946 PTSD patients establishes a clear data-driven pathway to lower acute medical spend for self-funded employers and health plans.
Physician-Supervised Medical Cannabis Reduces ER & Urgent Care Utilization by 35%
Trusted by 700K+ Patients
Clinically Backed & Peer-Reviewed
Available Nationally
Why This Matters to Your Organization
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) affects roughly 6% of Americans. Unmanaged, it silently inflates your claims data
The Financial Drain
A new PTSD diagnosis adds over $6,000 annually per member in direct medical costs, heavily driven by preventable ER and Urgent Care visits.
Reduced Acute Care
This peer-reviewed study found that PTSD patients using medical cannabis had a 35% lower probability of urgent care and ED visits compared to cannabis-naive patients.
Flawless Safety Profile
Exceptional patient tolerability, with fewer than 2% of the cohort reporting any adverse events.
Key Takeaways From the Report
Advanced Methodology
Learn how doubly robust Inverse Probability Weighted Regression Adjustment (IPWRA) modeling isolates true health system impact.
Utilization Disruption
Access exact data on how structured cannabis access safely replaces high-cost, acute specialized care.
Payer Frameworks
Extract actionable data logic built for self-funded groups and TPAs looking to structure alternative health benefits.
About the Research
Published in: Psychiatry International, June 2026
Authors: Mitchell L. Doucette, PhD (Johns Hopkins-affiliated), D. Luke Macfarlan, Mark Kasabuski, Junella Chin, and Emily Fisher.
Dataset: 1,946 validated PTSD patients across Leafwell’s national network.
The Research Behind the Benefit
Leafwell is a clinical research-driven network. We build the data infrastructure that validates alternative medicine.
Our Published Literature Includes:
- The Cost Effectiveness of Adjunctive Medical Cannabis Therapy for Moderate PTSD – Clinical Drug Investigation
- Impact of Medical Cannabis Law Adoption on Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Costs – Applied Health Economics and Health Policy
- Medical Cannabis Use and Healthcare Utilization Among Patients with Chronic Pain – Pharmacy
