Cannabis & Anxiety

The first thing we need to do is understand what anxiety is.

What is anxiety?

Everybody feels anxious from time to time. It can feel different for a lot of different people and can be caused by lots of different things. You might feel your heart rate increase before you give a speech, or you might feel restless while waiting for an important phone call. 

While it’s normal to feel worried or stressed about certain things, if anxious feelings become frequent and happen without any particular reason, it could be a sign of an anxiety disorder.

There are different types of anxiety disorders. We’ll cover a few here, but you can always find out more at Beyond Blue.

Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)

A person with GAD might feel anxious a lot of the time about a variety of things. They can find it difficult to stop worrying, even if they know that there’s nothing really to be anxious about. It often affects them in a way where they struggle to go about their day-to-day life.

Social anxiety

People with social anxiety or social phobia feel anxious in social situations. This anxiety stems from a fear of being judged, ridiculed or criticised by the people around them. Social anxiety can occur before, during or after any kind of social interaction — even something as small as grabbing a coffee before they go to work.

Phobias

Yes, phobias are a kind of anxiety disorder! If someone has a phobia, it’s often a very specific fear. It could be spiders, heights, the dark, or even dogs. People with phobias are often aware of their seemingly irrational fear, but often their reactions to these fears are uncontrollable, scary and can affect them in their daily life.

So what happens when someone with an anxiety condition starts to feel anxious?

It depends on the individual, but symptoms include:

If you’ve ever felt any of these symptoms or been around someone experiencing them, you know how scary it can be! It can feel like it’ll last forever, and some people even feel like they might be dying. 

Luckily, we can manage anxiety and its symptoms quite easily. There are many options available including counseling, therapy, medication and anxiety management strategies (think breathing, muscle and grounding exercises, as well as learning about your anxiety to try and manage it). But sometimes it can be hard to nip anxiety in the bud and you need something a little… greener. 

How can cannabis help with anxiety?

She’s a lean, green, flowery machine! When we talk about cannabis, we’re specifically talking about medical marijuana and its effects on the brain and body. As fun as it is to chill on the couch with some snacks, this amazing plant can be used for more than just getting high. 

The science

Cannabis — like everything else — is made up of a bunch of atoms. These atoms are arranged in different ways that create a variety of chemicals. Each of these chemicals can affect the body differently. So when we’re looking at how we can use medical cannabis to manage anxiety, we need to know which compounds are the ones that can relax us without the head high.

For the purposes of managing anxiety, CBD (cannabidiol) is the preferred chemical. CBD is the second most common active ingredient in cannabis (the first is THC — this is what gives you a head high). It is derived directly from the hemp plant, so the products have no psychoactive effects. This means that it can help the mind and body relax without the high or feeling of euphoria. CBD oil (medical cannabis with little to no THC) is one of the most commonly prescribed medical marijuana products as it means patients can manage conditions like anxiety without becoming high on the plant.

It is also important to remember that marijuana affects people differently and high doses of THC specifically have the potential to increase anxiety when not used properly — this is why it’s important to make sure you’re getting the right product for your needs.

Can you legally get cannabis for anxiety in Australia?

In short, yes. 

The sale and use of medicinal cannabis in Australia is legal. It must be prescribed by a doctor for the purposes of relieving the symptoms of a medical condition. On top of this, cannabis is heavily regulated in Australia, meaning that prescribed medical marijuana in Australia is tested, resulting in high quality and safe products with fewer side effects. Unlike recreational cannabis, where you might not have all the information about the plant and what effects it might have. 

Image credit:  Karolina Grabowska

What the research says
Recent studies have shown that a CBD dosage of 300 mg - 800 mg per day can prove effective for people suffering from anxiety when traditional treatments for these conditions have been ineffective (Australian Journal of General Practice). Additionally, a pilot study found that young people between the ages of 12-25 who were treated for anxiety with CBD “had an average 42.6% reduction in anxiety” (The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry as referenced in Orygen). Both of these studies used CBD, also known as cannabidiol — a non-intoxicating compound found in cannabis.

Highlight

Medical cannabis is a viable option when it comes to managing the symptoms of anxiety disorders as it is both legal and safe.

To summarise, research has shown that medical marijuana is effective in treating a variety of issues, one of the main ones being anxiety. When exploring options for medical cannabis, it is best to look for products that are higher in CBD as they are more likely to have relaxing effects without the feeling of euphoria. In Australia, it is legal to use cannabis for medical purposes as long as you have a prescription. Not only that, but due to its heavy regulation, medical marijuana is safe to use.