According to a recent study, heavy recreational cannabis consumption can increase the risk of developing severe mental health disorders. However, at the same time, researchers found that medical cannabis, or CBD, has properties that might be useful in treating a number of different mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety.
Following the analysis of reviews published between 2007 and 2016, authors of ‘The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: The Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research’ concluded that there was “substantial evidence” between frequent cannabis use and developing schizophrenia and other psychoses.
However, in the very same study, they found that cannabis use could actually help individuals struggling with mental health disorders to better perform in learning and memory tasks.
Also, the researchers finally claimed that recreational use can’t be linked with developing depression, anxiety or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
While medical cannabis use is on the rise, and debate around recreational adult use of the drug continues to divide the public, politician, and researchers, CBD has managed to build significant popularity among people looking for alternative health and wellness options.
Clinical studies of CBD have also been on the rise in recent years. These studies have yielded evidence that CBD can interact with our body’s endocannabinoid receptors (CB1, CB2). These interactions have been found to potentially have an impact on how our brain regulates mood, among other functions.
What can CBD offer?
While it is widely acknowledged that further controlled clinical studies needed to get a full picture on CBD, we already know a fair amount of its presumed health benefits.
CBD is reportedly assisting in the fight of a wide of range of conditions. While, again, more evidence will be needed in the future, CBD is widely considered to have the potential decrease feelings of depression; increase relaxation, alter mood, decrease pain sensation. Preliminary evidence suggests that it may also have an effect on learning and memory.
Furthermore, as we reported it last year, CBD was found “to reduce symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder”, a condition that relates to “low self-esteem, self-consciousness, and panic attacks, among others.”
In conclusion, although there is still a sort of black hole when it comes to clinical trials into CBD, the demand for medical cannabis is gigantic worldwide.
Even though some still argue whether medical cannabis could and should be used by those struggling with mental health issues, more countries continue to join the global medical cannabis market, and patients and wellness customers are more than ready to welcome the cannabinoid.
