Depression and marijuana

Does cannabis actually help or make it worse?

We have all felt it, that engulfing feeling of loneliness. Like being held beneath the dark murky waters of sadness, as if nothing that you do will help breach these waters and you feel nothing other than contempt – you’re uninterested and indifferent. Sometimes these feelings are seasonal, and sometimes it’s a lot more complicated than that. With the advancement of modern medicine, many people in the world take prescription medicine to deal with their depression. Others rely solely on mind over matter to help cure their mental illness. Between these two solutions, you have a hybrid alternative, a natural, happy way to achieve happiness. What’s that wonderful green plant that we stoners already use that makes us feel happy? That’s right; it’s weed.
We all know that weed makes us high and in turn happy but does it actually have the ability to cure us of depression? In theory, yes, it makes sense that our happy “drug” would cure depression if not forever then at least for the time being. Fortunately some studies have been done that look at the link between cannabis users and depression.
McGill University took a look at the connection between the two. In their studies, they found that for people who smoked just a little that it would work similar to an antidepressant and raise serotonin in the brain. This means that it worked positively for depression. In simple words, depression is summed up as a chemical imbalance of serotonin and norepinephrine (among a few other chemicals.)
On the opposite hand in their study, they also found that people who smoke weed in high doses threw the positive side effects of balance. The high intake resulted in their serotonin levels dropping and therefore worsening the depression.
A study was done in Australia on youth between 14-15 that smoked cannabis on the regular for several years showed that the younger someone started smoking, the higher their risk was for having depression. In fact, adolescents who smoked every day were five times more likely to get anxiety and depression.
The University of Buffalo also did a study that found stress and anxiety reduced natural endocannabinoids in our brains, and that cannabis can help regulate and bring back these hormones- resetting to a normal amount. The only downside to this new information is that it was only tested out on rodents and hasn’t been tried yet exclusively on humans.
A lot of people are on the fence about marijuana being used in place of antidepressants and the positive impacts that it may provide. This makes it difficult to do research on the subject and get to the root of this ongoing curiosity. It’s still very controversial to a lot of people, and a lot of scientists aren’t ready to step on the toes of those who don’t see the weed in a positive light as we do.
If you’re using cannabis to help with your depression, we recommend that like always – you know yourself and your limits. If you ever have serious issues, it’s important to contact your doctor!