Posted on June 1, 2024

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the world went mad for Prozac. Everyone, seemingly, was on the most famous antidepressant of them all. Until that is, a few select clinical studies showed that it could actually worsen symptoms. Even though expert doctors tried to stress that Prozac was completely safe in all but a few cases (as with any drug), the damage was done - drugs for mental health problems were and are still distrusted by many – even to this day.

Over the past few years however, interest in medical cannabis has soared. Now less stigmatized and more widely available, medical cannabis is being used to treat a range of health conditions, including depression and anxiety. This begs the question, is medicinal marijuana the solution for you?

What is Cannabis? The term “Cannabis” refers to three kinds of plants — Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. The bud of the plant, also known as the flower, contains chemicals called cannabinoids which contain varying degrees of psycho-activity. This means they vary in how significantly they affect how you feel and the way you perceive things after ingesting the products. CBD and THC are both found in cannabis plants, but they interact with your body differently. One main difference is that THC produces a high while CBD does not. Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), are two natural compounds found in plants of the Cannabis genus.

What Does the Research Show? Both depressive and anxiety disorders are common mental health conditions that plaque millions of Americans. While some studies show that medicinal marijuana helps manage these conditions, there is no conclusive proof that it does so long term. In fact, studies show that cannabis blends with higher levels of THC may actually cause anxiety, including racing thoughts and an increase in heart rate.

As patients demand more natural remedies to address their ailments, doctors will continue to prescribe medicinal marijuana as a cure all not only for anxiety and depression, but also for pain management, nausea, migraines, insomnia, as an anti-inflammatory agent, and psychosis, conditions recorded as benefitting from cannabis. Before deciding if this is the right solution for you, please speak with your doctor. After more than 30 years of dealing with chronic, debilitating pain, unrelenting muscle spasms, undergoing several medical procedures, being prescribed a host of narcotics, anti-inflammatory medications and muscle relaxants, and enduring many years of physical therapy, cannabis was the only remedy that offered pain relief, stress relief and did not alter my state of mind allowing me to continue to work full time as an attorney and take care of my family.