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Consumers report reductions in their feelings of anxiety and depression immediately following their marijuana use, according to data published in the journal Cannabis.
Investigators affiliated with Florida Gulf Coast University assessed the short-term effects of cannabis on symptoms of anxiety and depression in a cohort of 418 subjects. Study participants self-administered cannabis at home and reported symptom changes in real-time on a mobile software application. Researchers evaluated data from 9,966 sessions.
The study’s authors determined, “[B]oth depression and anxiety symptoms significantly decreased after cannabis use in general; results at the user level of analysis showed that the majority of users experienced positive relief outcomes.”
They concluded: “[These results] replicate previous work which has shown decreases in depression and anxiety symptomatology following real-time cannabis consumption. … Our results … speak to the potential of cannabis to combat acute depression and anxiety with a rapid onset of self-reported relief.”
Survey data finds that those who consume cannabis for purposes of self-medication most frequently report doing so to address pain, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and depression.
Full text of the study, “Using smartphone technology to track real-time changes in anxiety/depression symptomatology among Florida cannabis users,” appears in Cannabis.
