Is Marijuana Good or Bad for Anxiety?

Thrive Counseling is in Denver, so marijuana is everywhere. I think it will be legal is most states very soon, and it’s widely used in varying levels. I personally think it should be legal, and it’s not incredibly harmful. But if you struggle with anxiety, you probably want to know if using marijuana is helpful or harmful when it comes to anxiety.

So what does the evidence say about Marijuana and Anxiety?

In 2009 researchers from several universities teamed up to review all the evidence about Marijuana and anxiety.  They published their results in the Journal Human Psychopharmacology. Here’s what they found:

There is a link between using Marijuana and Anxiety

There is an undeniable link between having symptoms of clinical anxiety (like panic attacks and high general anxiety) and using marijuana. It’s generally agreed upon that Marijuana actually causes anxiety in people, but people are also trying to help their anxiety by using Marijuana. Furthermore, as people reported more Marijuana use, they also reported having higher anxiety.

Some people have a strong Anxiety reaction to high doses of Marijuana

Some people report having strong and almost immediate anxious reactions to using marijuana (including panic attacks). This is more common wihen people take a high dose of marijuana, or don’t use it very often. It also happens more often in stressful situations or novel situations (lie being in a new place rather than your own home). Unsurprisingly, people who have this reaction don’t ned to go on and become regular users.

If you’re taking an anti-anxiety medication, Marijuana can interfere with its effectiveness

There are studies that show using marijuana actually counter-acts the useful properties of anti-anxiety medications. Researchers don’t know exactly why yet, but hypothesize that the way marijuana works in the brain blocks the calming effects of these medications.

Marijuana use can increase worrying and anxious thoughts

There is some evidence that regular marijuana use can increase certain types of thought processes which lead ot worrying and anxious thoughts. This is called ‘Catastrphic Thinking’ and it’s the kind of thought processes which takes some negative event and then exacerbates it into an emergency ro catastrophe. For example, if you get one bad grade on a test, you might think “I’m going to fail this class and then flunk out of school and be in lots of trouble.” That’s a big leap to make. This kind of thinking is found in people who struggle with a lot of anxiety.

Balancing THC and CBD can help with the anxiety-producing effects of Marijuana

There are some studies that were done on rats and mice that suggests having a high dose of both TCH and CBD ameliorates the anxiety that THC along can produce. THC is the psycho-active ingredient in Marijuana. CBD is another ingredient in Marijuana, and it doesn’t make users feel ‘high’, but may have other medicinal uses. In states with Marijuana is legal, you can ask at a dispensary for ‘high CBD’ types of Marijuana to achieve this balance of ingredients.

The Anxiety-Response of Marijuana appears to be worse for women than men

For reasons researchers don’t understand yet, this link between anxiety and Marijuana is worse for women than for men. So if you’re a woman, be cautious about this.

So, is Marijuana good or bad for anxiety?

It’s pretty clear from the evidence that is you have underlying anxiety, marijuana will likely make it somewhat worse. It may initially relieve anxiety, but over time it may worsen your anxiety. When working with clients with anxiety, I usually recommend not starting to use marijuana, and if they already use it regularly, to take a short break of a month or two and see if their anxiety improves. Every person is different and there is a lot we don’t yet know about it, so it’s important to find what works for you.