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Treating Anxiety with Cannabis by Peter Kershaw, contributing writer
Anxiety
Panic Disorder
Depression
Social Anxiety
OCD
PTSD
Anxiety is a pervasive and lingering negative feeling of worry, fear, tension, apprehension, dread, and unease. However, anxiety involves more than just a negative mental and emotional state; it’ s also physical. When experiencing anxiety, our sympathetic nervous system releases stress hormones( adrenaline / epinephrine, cortisol). Specifically, the amygdala detects perceived threats and signals the hypothalamus to activate the“ fight or flight” stress response, which can happen within milliseconds and last as long as the threat persists. This God-given fight or flight response can literally save our lives in an emergency. But it’ s only intended to be triggered on an as-needed basis, which, for most people, should be seldom.
Tragically, millions of Americans are living in fight or flight mode daily. If we remain in a state of anxiety for days and weeks on end, it can dramatically undermine our physical and emotional / psychological well-being. Anxiety Disorders are the most common mental illness in the U. S. They annually affect 40 million adults, age 18 and older( 19.1 %), and 7 % of children aged 3-17 experience issues with anxiety each year. 1 Anxiety disorders are categorized as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Phobias, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Anxiety disorders dramatically impact quality of life and can even be debilitating to the point where one may be terrified of even getting out of bed or leaving home. In many, if not most, cases, anxiety disorders are accompanied by Clinical Depression.
Anxiety disorders develop from various risk factors, including traumatic life events, genetics, and brain chemistry. Even personality differences can be a factor. For example, people with pessimistic and ruminating personalities( glass half empty) are more likely to suffer from anxiety, whereas optimistic personalities( glass half full) are far less likely.
Though anxiety disorders are at“ crisis” levels among younger folks and continue trending upwards, this isn’ t the case with older folks( Gen X and Boomers). For this reason, some mental health experts have asserted that the“ anxiety crisis” is a“ manufactured crisis.” 2 In other words, it’ s self-inflicted and overwhelmingly afflicts the younger generations. Significant contributing factors include“ technology overload” such as“ social media pressure,” e. g., erosion
Though cannabis isn ' t a cure for anxiety, it has improved the quality of life for millions of anxietysuffering Americans, as well as the depression that so often accompanies it.
of self-esteem by unrealistic comparisons of oneself to celebrities and social media influencers. It may also include“ information overload,” i. e., 24 / 7 news cycle assaulting viewers with scary headlines that only reinforce life’ s uncertainties. We can all do ourselves a lot of good by limiting our online and cable news time and picking up a good book instead.
Studies show that people from wealthier countries experience far higher incidents of anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses than do people from poorer / developing countries. Despite our comparative wealth, we’ re not any more mentally healthy for it. Why? It often comes down to an unrealistic expectation that we should be able to control our lives. Then, when reality suddenly crashes into our control fantasy, BOOM! Anxiety is the inevitable result. Contrast this with folks in developing countries. They’ re not surprised when bad things happen. In fact, they pretty much expect it. When the bad doesn’ t happen, they celebrate. They’ re content with the little they have, versus we who are constantly striving for more and more. We can all learn a lot from this.
Cannabis For Anxiety:
Though cannabis isn’ t a cure for anxiety, it has improved the quality of life for millions of anxiety-suffering Americans, as well as the depression that so often accompanies it. Research indicates the endocannabinoid system may be activated in anxiety disorders, and in particular, the density of the CB1 receptors in the amygdala, hippocampus, and anterior cingulate cortex. As such, it would appear the endocannabinoid system can regulate anxiety.
Though cannabis doesn’ t have the dangerous side effects of pharmaceutical drugs routinely prescribed for anxiety disorders, it still should be ingested prudently. As this author has admonished previously, more is not better. Cannabis is“ bi-phasic,” meaning small doses of the right strain can produce positive results. However, large doses( especially of the wrong strain) may exacerbate whatever symptom one is targeting. High-THC cannabis strains can exacerbate and even trigger anxiety and paranoia in susceptible individuals. Getting stoned is generally ill-advised for anxiety disorders.
Many find“ micro-dosing” extremely effective for treating anxiety. Micro-dosing allows one to periodically consume small
18 September 2025