Marijuana And mental health
“Based on evidence currently available it is not accurate that cannabis has no medical value, or that information on safety is lacking.”-Grant I, Atkinson JH, Gouaux B, Wilsey B. Medical marijuana
What are the effects of marijuana and the human psyche?
For years there has been a debate on whether Marijuana and cannabinoids aid the Human psyche with mental health issues. The stigmas surrounding marijuana has made studying all of the medical benefits very hard. However, with marijuana being legalized in more and more states each year in the US. Scientists have been able to find out that there are major benefits when using marijuana to help with mental health.
Patients today use marijuana for PTSD, anxiety disorders, ADHD, depression, chronic pain, bipolar disorder, opiate dependence, insomnia, even schizophrenia. Patients also use marijuana for neurological problems like dementia, multiple sclerosis, and specific seizure disorders that are unresponsive to standard medicines. This article will dive into some of these different mental health issues affected by using marijuana.
Marijuana and mental health benefits
Depression & anxiety
There are many different opinions regarding the benefits of marijuana and depression. In a 2017 study, 9,000 American adults were asked their views on marijuana. 81% of those adults said that they believed there to be 1 or more positive benefits to using Marijuana. Over half of those people listed “depression & anxiety” as 2 of the most benefitted areas. Though the research is still in development on whether or not Marijuana has long term benefits to help with depression. Research that has been done shows that cannabis has the ability to make the user have a more regulated natural Endocannabinoid system. This part of your brain is what deals with serotonin. Using marijuana has been linked to the user feeling less self-reported levels of depression, even if only for the short term.
Many have found success when using CBD or “cannabidiol”, a non-psychoactive compound found in Marijuana. Research is limited for the benefits of CBD for anxiety, But it is believed that CBD affects the level of serotonin in the brain much like many antidepressants do. Which is by raising the natural endocannabinoid levels. However, like other medications, CBDs’ effects seem to have different levels of success based on each individual’s experience.
CBD has become a very popular wellness trend in most of America and can be found in multiple retail stores. One of the many great things about CBD is that there are multiple ways of consuming it. Another is that there are multiple types of CBD to choose from.
Some of the more popular ways to take CBD are:
Candies
capsules
Vapor
oils
drops
teas
With the many ways to take CBD, it’s important to keep in mind the different kinds of CBD are available. Hemp made CBD contains less than .03% THC and does not get you “high”. The two main kinds of CBD that you can buy are broad-spectrum CBD & CBD isolate. Broad-Spectrum CBD has compounds that are left with the CBD after extraction that act as aiding compounds.
These are:
THC ( less than .3%)
CBG
CBC
and CBN
Full-spectrum CBD has all of these extras left in after extraction to give the full combined effects from all. Whereas CBD Isolate is the purest form of CBD, as everything else was taken out.
Schizophrenia & psychosis
Marijuana and Psychosis have been studied for a very long time. Many opinions say that THC may actually worsen underlying symptoms. This is more noticeable if cannabis is used excessively. However, there have been many cases that found that CBD has been able to help with early symptoms. In a small case study, 6 patients with schizophrenia and a history of symptom relief with cannabis use were treated with the addition of low-dose prescriptions. THC was added to regimens that included clozapine in some cases or multiple antipsychotics in 1 patient. 4 of the 6 patients showed improvement with the addition of THC to their regimen. And in 3 of the 4 patients, a specific antipsychotic effect was evident. As with the anxiogenic potential of THC, dosage may be important in the relationship between THC and psychosis.
PTSD
Those with PTSD tend to suffer from chronic issues like Nightmares, disassociation, hypervigilance, and other symptoms. Unfortunately if untreated or treated with the wrong care, in some cases this debilitating disease can lead to suicide. And although research is somewhat unknown, many who suffer from PTSD have continuously said that cannabis helps them.
New research however has pinpointed two central ways that cannabis can help those with PTSD. First is by testing the response to THC on the Amygdala or the part of the brain that’s associated with responses to fear and threats. Secondly, there have been studies that suggest that the Cannabinoids found in Cannabis could help in blocking traumatic memories.In conclusion...
There is still a lot of research to be done on the effects of marijuana and mental health. However, what we do know is just how important research truly is with so many people benefiting from cannabis. Each person is affected differently by not only mental illness but by the medications that they take to help. It is very important to do your research and talk to medical professionals for help with understanding how Medical cannabis can help you. For more information on what illnesses are helped with marijuana check out our page: Qualifying Conditions for cannabis prescriptions.
References
- Grant I, Atkinson JH, Gouaux B, Wilsey B. Medical marijuana: clearing away the smoke. Open Neurol J. 2012;6:18-25.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6157909/
- Schwarcz G, Karajgi B, McCarthy R. Synthetic delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (dronabinol) can improve the symptoms of schizophrenia. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2009;29:255-258.
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355967
- https://www.azdhs.gov/documents/licensing/medical-marijuana/debilitating/2013-october/ptsd-2013-october.pdf
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32842985/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilyearlenbaugh/2020/09/17/new-research-reveals-why-cannabis-helps-ptsd-sufferers/?sh=18cb4bf0179a
