Cannabis and Anxiety: It's Complicated
Cannabis has been proven to be a miracle plant in many, many ways. From helping to manage chronic pain and arthritis to preventing Alzheimer’s and seizures, there is no doubt that cannabis has a lot of healing properties. Beyond the physical, cannabis has also been extremely effective at treating bipolar disorder, depression and even anxiety. In fact, many PTSD patients also use cannabis as a treatment method. But wait? Doesn’t cannabis cause paranoia and anxiety, versus treating it? Technically, both are true so let’s break it down.
Cannabis and the Brain As some of you may already know, cannabis reacts to natural cannabinoid receptors found throughout the human body as part of our endocannabinoid system, which regulates immune responses and the release of neurotransmitters. In some cases, THC can actually over-excite these receptors by over-stimulating the amygdala, which is an area in the brain that is responsible for processing emotions including stress, fear and paranoia. This is most common in individuals who are new to cannabis as opposed to longterm, regular users.