A new study describes precisely the quantities and qualities of cannabis that help reduce stress, anxiety and feelings of depression. Warning: long term use of this drug can make depression worse.
In a first study Like this, scientists at Washington State University looked at how levels of stress, anxiety, and depression were affected by cannabis use.
Their work, published this month in the Journal of Affective Disorders, suggest that in the short term, smoking cannabis can significantly reduce levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Long-term use of this drug, on the other hand, makes depression worse.
10 puffs or more
“Existing research on the effects of cannabis on depression, anxiety and stress is very scarce and has been done almost exclusively with tetrahydrocannabinol pills taken orally in a lab,” said Carrie Cuttler, professor of psychology and Lead author of the study What is unique about our study is that we looked at cannabis inhaled by patients for medical purposes, who smoked it quietly at home rather than in a laboratory. “
American scientists have evaluated amounts of cannabis containing different concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). The research team found that one puff of high-CBD, low-THC cannabis was optimal for reducing symptoms of depression, two puffs of any type of cannabis was sufficient for reducing symptoms of anxiety, while 10 or more puffs of CBD-rich, THC-rich cannabis produced the greatest reductions in stress.
“Many consumers seem to mistakenly believe that more tetrahydrocannabinol is always better,” explains Carrie Cuttler, while “our study shows that cannabidiol is also a very important ingredient in cannabis and may increase some of the positive effects of THC.”
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Advice on strains
The researchers also found that while both sexes reported decreases in stress, anxiety and feeling depressed after using cannabis, women reported a significantly greater reduction in anxiety following their use. medicinal drug.
The cannabis smokers the researchers tested rated the symptoms they experienced before using cannabis on a scale of 1 to 10 and then indicated the type of cannabis they inhaled. Twenty minutes after smoking, the scientists asked them to fill in the number of puffs they had taken and to specify how they felt.
“This is to my knowledge one of the first scientific studies to provide advice on which strains and amounts of cannabis people should consume to reduce stress, anxiety and depression,” Carrie Cuttler concludes. medical and recreational cannabis users rely on anecdotal, unscientific advice. ”
The study is one of several cannabis research projects currently underway in the United States, all of which comply with federal law and many of which are funded by Washington State cannabis taxes and fees. alcohol license.
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