Depression affects more than 300 million people globally, according to statistics from the Hope for Depression Research Foundation, making it one of the most debilitating medical conditions in the world.
“Anxiety and depressive disorders are highly prevalent,” Erin L.
As an alternative to commonly prescribed pharmaceuticals, many people with anxiety and depression turn to cannabis products containing tetrahydrocannabinol , or a combination of the two cannabinoids.
To conduct the study, which was published recently in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, researchers recruited a group of participants who reported having depression, anxiety, or both.
During a baseline assessment, participants answered questions about their cannabis use and completed assessments that gauge anxiety, depression, recent pain, quality of life, and sleep quality.
Among the study participants, 34% reported having anxiety, 15% reported having depression and 51% said they had both conditions.
The participants who used cannabis at baseline, particularly CBD-rich products, reported lower levels of depression than nonusers.
Anxiety levels did not differ between cannabis users and nonusers at the onset of the study.
I’ve documented stories about legalization and the cannabis industry in my home state of California, the nation’s largest legal marijuana market, and beyond, receiving input in the process from a host of sources including C-suite executives, congressmen, illicit cultivators, and sack slingers.