Medical Marijuana: A Promising Treatment for Anxiety and Depression?
A new study, funded in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), suggests that medical marijuana may be associated with significant decreases in self-reported anxiety and depression. Published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, the observational study looked at 33 adults in Maryland with clinically significant anxiety and/or depression over a six-month period. The results showed that within three months of initiating medical cannabis treatment, participants reported significant decreases in anxiety and depression, with sustained reductions over the six-month study period.
Most patients in the study chose THC-dominant cannabis products and reported not only improvements in their mental health, but also a decline in their perceived driving ability and an increase in feeling high. The study also found that the effects were dose-dependent, with 10-15 mg of oral THC and at least 3 puffs of vaporized cannabis yielding the most robust reductions in anxiety and depression.
Interestingly, three-quarters of the participants had previously used marijuana and over a third had used it within the past year. At the time of the study, medical marijuana was legal in Maryland, but still illegal for nonmedical use.
The team behind the study, which includes members from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research in Melbourne, Australia, acknowledges potential conflicts of interest as some members have received funding or currently work for companies involved in medical marijuana. The study also received support from the Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp at Thomas Jefferson University.
While the findings of this study are promising, the authors note that controlled clinical trials are needed to further investigate the efficacy and safety of medicinal cannabis for acute anxiety and depression symptom management. While psychedelics have shown promise in treating mental health conditions, some cannabis users have long reported that the substance helps manage anxiety and depression. Other recent studies have also supported this idea, with one finding that legalizing marijuana at the state level led to fewer filled prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications.
So, could medical marijuana be a promising treatment for anxiety and depression? While more research is needed, this study and others suggest that it may be worth exploring further.
