Cannabis is effective in managing anxiety and depression. It contains over 100 cannabinoids that possess therapeutic properties. They work with the same brain chemicals as anti-anxiety medications. The commonly prescribed benzodiazepines regulate the levels of GABA, thus reducing the anxiety levels. Medical studies have found that cannabis also impacts the GABA levels. However, marijuana use for anxiety is safer than medications. In fact, it doesn’t cause side-effects such as tolerance.

In the United States, medical use of marijuana is legal in 33 states currently. With a doctor-signed medical cannabis card, you can easily access it from any state-licensed dispensary. But, before using the herb for anxiety, you need to learn how it works in the body, what studies have to say & more. Read on to learn more.

Cannabis & Anxiety – What Science Says?

Anxiety is a common mental health condition that can lead to sleep problems, lack of focus, excessive worrying, etc. In the United States, about 40 million adults age 18 and older are suffering from anxiety disorders—according to the Anxiety And Depression Association of America.

Research says that cannabis can help in managing anxiety symptoms. In fact, its cannabinoids stimulate the endocannabinoid system of the body.

The endocannabinoid system is a complex biological system in the body, which plays a key role in regulating different bodily functions. These include sleep, mood, memory, and appetite. It contains cannabinoid receptors, endocannabinoids, and enzymes. Endocannabinoids are similar to cannabinoids present in cannabis plants. When you consume marijuana, the cannabinoids interact with the receptors in the endocannabinoid system, thus providing positive effects.

Medical studies have found that cannabinoid receptors that are involved in anxiety processing are abundant in the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex areas of the brain. Research says that THC can help in reducing anxiety, thus promoting mental wellness. THC is a major psychoactive compound found in the marijuana plant.

A recent study reported that 2-AG helped reduce the anxiety effects between the frontal cortex and the amygdala. 2-AG is an endocannabinoid that has a similar chemical structure as THC. Additionally, both activate the same receptors.

According to a study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, marijuana is effective in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. However, marijuana provides anti-anxiety effects for the short-term while long-term use may increase depression levels.

Factors Affecting Marijuana Effects on The Body

Marijuana has medicinal properties, which can help improve daily life. However, it doesn’t deliver the same effects to everyone. In other words, how you feel after consuming marijuana depends on various factors listed below.

Dosage

Consuming an optimal amount of cannabis is important if you want to manage your anxiety symptoms completely. Remember, lower doses can help anxiety while higher doses may deliver the opposite effects. So, if you are considering high-THC strains, don’t forget to check the dosage.

For beginners, it’s recommended to start with a low dose. The motive is to analyze the effects of cannabinoids on the body. Thus, you can adjust the dosage over time to receive the desired health benefits.

Delivery Method

There are many ways to consume cannabis, such as smoking, vaping, tinctures, edibles, and topicals. Smoking is the most common delivery method, which provides immediate effects. However, it’s not recommended for patients with lung problems. Edibles are processed through the digestive system, thus they take longer to kick in (usually 30-60 mins). However, the onset time of edibles depends on their cannabinoids.

Topicals can be applied directly to the skin. They provide the ultimate relief from pain and inflammation, thus reducing stress & worries.

Also Read – 6 Amazing Reasons to Use Cannabis Topicals

So, how you deliver cannabinoids into the body influences the cannabis effects you receive. Talk to a licensed doctor to seek professional help.

Strain Type

There’s a wide range of cannabis strains with different levels of cannabinoids, and they deliver different effects. Some strains are good for sleep while others for pain relief. So, depending on your needs, you can select strains.

When buying cannabis for anxiety, make sure you check THC and CBD ratio. Some of the top strains for anxiety relief are—Harlequin, ACDC, Bubba Kush, Northern Lights, Jack Herer, Strawberry Cough, Pennywise, and Cannatonic.

Tolerance

Everyone has a different tolerance for cannabis. Major factors affecting tolerance levels are frequency of cannabis consumption, since when you have been consuming, and age. It’s necessary to know your personal tolerance levels so that you know how much to consume to get the desired effects. If you are smoking marijuana in a group of friends, make sure you consume too much. Remember, your friends have different tolerances, so the dose they take may not work for you.

Terpenes

Terpenes give distinctive flavors to strains. The development of terpenes is affected by factors such as weather, climate, soil type, age, etc.

Medical researchers believe that terpenes may influence the cannabis effects on the body. However, scientists are working to evaluate how exactly terpenes affect marijuana high.

Some terpenes are good for relaxation while others for stress relief. For instance, limonene is effective in boosting mood and relieving anxiety.

Marijuana Interaction With Anti-Anxiety Medications

When mixing cannabis with anti-anxiety medications, you need to consider various things.

Some studies show that when mixed with marijuana, some medications may deliver adverse effects or they become less effective. So, it’s advisable to talk to a licensed doctor to seek professional help.

SSRIs (Prozac and Zoloft) are the most common medications prescribed for anxiety. Many patients report adverse interactions between marijuana & SSRIs.

Moreover, it’s recommended not to mix CBD with medications that come with a grapefruit warning. The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) says that consuming grapefruit while you are taking these medications may deliver a higher concentration of the medication in the bloodstream, thus causing adverse effects. However, some anxiety and depression medications come with a grapefruit warning.

There’s some evidence that taking cannabis and antidepressant together can result in dizziness, nausea, mental contradiction, headaches, panic attacks, and increased heart rate.

Get Legal Access to Medical Marijuana

Medical marijuana is legal in 33 states. However, different states have different laws for medical users. The common one is—getting a medical cannabis card to access state-licensed dispensaries. There are various benefits of getting an MMJ card, legal access to medical cannabis, age relaxations, tax saving, and permission to grow cannabis plants for personal use.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s not safe to visit a doctor’s clinic. However, using telemedicine, you can apply for 420 evaluations online. So, no need to leave your sweet home. Fill a simple form and see a doctor online. The doctor will send your MMJ recs in PDF format via email. Here’s the complete process-

Sign up an account
Talk to a licensed doctor through the HIPAA-compliant software
Receive your MMJ rec letter via email

Final Thoughts

Marijuana is effective in managing anxiety symptoms effectively and naturally. It has cannabinoids that work by interacting with the cannabinoid receptors in the body’s endocannabinoid system.

However, when using marijuana for anxiety, you need to consider various things. Marijuana dosage is important, lower doses can help anxiety while higher doses may cause adverse effects. Different strains and consumption methods may deliver different effects. Other factors affecting cannabis effects are terpenes, tolerance, and the environment. It’s good to talk to a licensed doctor to get sound advice for marijuana use for anxiety.

Get a medical cannabis card to access the herb legally for anxiety.

Cannabis has now become a go-to herb for many people to treat several different medical conditions. And owing to this, thousands of people are applying for an mmj card or a cannabis card renewal nowadays. Furthermore, given the popularity of the plant, many new methods of consumption are also making their way to the market every now and then. We have the traditional smoking, the cool vaping, the elegant edibles, and many more. You’ve probably heard about cannabis topicals too.

Yeah? Not a much widely used method though.

But do you know cannabis topicals can actually be very helpful for you in certain situations? You probably know how great they are for your skin. But did you know you can also use them to treat your burns, manage your arthritis pain and get a therapeutic massage that can make your forget all your stress and worries? I’m serious! And these topicals won’t give you even the slightest scratch. Isn’t it great?

There are so many reasons to use cannabis topicals if you are a medical user. And in this article, we’ve discussed the top six of them.

Gives Localized Pain Relief

There are several different conditions for which people apply for a medical marijuana card. And pain is one of the very major ones. It is, in fact, one of the biggest reasons why people go for a cannabis card renewal.

As per an estimate, approximately 20 percent of US adults are living with some kind of pain. And given the lifestyle people are living with today, this number doesn’t seem to go down very easily.

A lot of these people are using cannabis for managing their pain. In fact, there are many studies that suggest that the plant can help people alleviate even the most debilitating pain.

Though you can use any method of cannabis consumption to treat your pain, topicals have their own advantage. Cannabis topicals give you a localized pain relief. In other words, you can apply topicals directly to the place where the pain is.

When you apply cannabis to your skin, it gets absorbed by it. And here, it binds with the CB2 receptors present inside your skin to provide you a quick relief from your pain. Furthermore, as the cannabinoids aren’t getting to your blood, topicals won’t even get your high.

Provides Relief from Inflammation and Symptoms of Arthritis

Do you know how many people are suffering from arthritis? At the global level, the number hits a whopping 350 million. And in the US alone, there are more than 54 million people with this condition. Furthermore, though the condition is usually associated with the elderly more, there are more than 250 thousand children also who have this problem.

The major symptoms of arthritis include pain and inflammation in the joints. And cannabis topicals are a quite popular remedy for both these symptoms, making it an amazing substance to treat your arthritis.

As per a study of the year 2014, there is a significantly higher number of CB2 receptors in the joint tissues in people suffering from pain. But when they apply cannabis topicals on these joints, the cannabinoids activate these receptors and help fight inflammation and pain.

Treats Skin Irritation and Bacterial Infections

You can use cannabis topicals even for treating your scratches, bug bites, or some other skin irritations. As we discussed, cannabis topicals offer localized relief along with the reduction in inflammation, they are perfect for you if you have a mild skin itching or irritation.

Most cannabinoids have anti-bacterial properties too. And therefore, they are used by a lot of people to treat boils, impetigo, cellulitis, and many other skin conditions. Moreover, with topicals, you won’t even experience bodily resistance against the antibacterial treatments, as you may with some antibiotics.

As per a study conducted in 2008, cannabis has the ability to treat MRSA, a type of bacterial infection. The researchers suggest that many major cannabinoids, including cannabidiol, tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabinol, etc. have shown a significantly potent activity against various strains of MRSA. Though they did not specifically mention any oil or salves etc., the message was pretty clear.

However, you should note that not all marijuana topicals may help you here. All products are not created equal. And thus, while buying it for you, you must check the ingredient list carefully. Some additives may make your skin condition even worse.

Keeps Skin Healthy and Young

Want to keep your skin looking great for years? Consider adding cannabis topicals to your beauty regime. You probably have heard how beneficial cannabis topicals are for your skin.

One of the very major advantages of cannabis topicals is it keeps your skin from aging. And this can be credited to the antioxidant properties of the herb.

The major reason behind skin aging is the presence of free radicals in it. These molecules cause great damage to the skin cells, especially when they come in contact with UV rays of the sun. CBD and THC, however, are both antioxidants that fight these free radicals and save your skin from the damage. CBD, in fact, is an even more powerful antioxidant than Vitamin C and E, as per some studies.

Manages the Symptoms of Psoriasis

For people who don’t know, Psoriasis is a condition that is caused by an excessive buildup of dead skin cells, which causes itchy and painful red patches at the affected place of the body. And this condition can sometimes be very embarrassing and uncomfortable for the sufferer.

As of now, the condition does not have any known cure. And thus, the patient cannot do much to manage this. However, as per the recent research, cannabis may help here.

A study conducted in 2007 shows that cannabis has the potential to curb the buildup of the dead skin cells. And this may help people manage their Psoriasis. Furthermore, there is much anecdotal evidence too favoring the relationship between Psoriasis and cannabis. A number to people who have this condition claim that cannabis topicals provided them a significant relief in their symptoms.

Great for Massages

Is cannabis-infused oil better for a massage than a regular oil? The science suggests so.

The cannabinoids in the cannabis-infused oil directly target the CB2 receptors in your skin, reducing any pain or inflammation. And this makes it a lot better than any other product for a massage. This property of cannabis may come in handy even more if you are suffering from a condition such as arthritis, neuropathy, fibromyalgia, or some sports injuries, etc.

Moreover, several massage therapists claim that using cannabis-infused oils help them keep even their own inflammation levels in control.

All the above reasons make cannabis-based topicals an amazing product to use whether you are a medical user or a recreational one.

Category: Cannabis

Using Medical Marijuana For Anxiety – What You Should Know?