Depression

Depression commonly presents with several chronic symptoms that can severely impact the quality of life and mental well-being, such as intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, irritability, anxiety, and sleep disturbances (Sharpless & Barber, 2011) . Military veterans are notably present with much higher rates of depression than civilians due to exposure to war-related traumatic experiences (Veterans Affairs Canada, 2019) .

There is no single effective treatment, and persons with depression might receive multiple modes of treatment in combination (Van Ameringen et al., 2008) . Current approaches include pharmaceutical intervention and psychological or therapeutic (e.g. cognitive behavioural therapy, psychotherapy, or mindfulness-based stress reduction) methods (Petersen et al., 2021) . One standard treatment approach is the prescript

Medical cannabis can be used to temporarily treat depression but it is not for everyone. Some variables include method of ingestion and the dose.Veterans seeking medical cannabis through Avail medical to relieve symptoms have reported better-improved quality of life.

This finding aligned with previous studies which found improved energy as the most significant perceived benefit.

The results may provide further clinical evidence to support the use of medical cannabis for depressionsymptoms amongst CAF and RCMP veterans and support more extensive research studies in the future that will need to be completed.