03/24/2026
Sharing to spread awareness.
The following are some excerpts from this article and the recent findings:
"Using medical or recreational ma*****na to ease symptoms of numerous mental health conditions doesn't work, according to two new analyses of existing gold-standard research.
Medical ma*****na includes products with cannabidiol, or CBD, and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the part of the plant that produces euphoria.
"We found no evidence any form of cannabis is effective in treating anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, which are three of the leading reasons for which cannabis is prescribed," said Jack Wilson, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Sydney's Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use.
Wilson is the lead author of one of the studies published Monday in the journal Lancet Psychiatry, which analyzed results from 54 randomized controlled trials published between 1980 and 2025.
Regular use of potent ma*****na can be dangerous, experts say, especially to the most vulnerable. Utilizing ma*****na during pregnancy, adolescence and young adulthood can interfere with brain development. Heavy use of ma*****na by teens and young adults with mood disorders - such as depression and bipolar disorder - is linked to an increased risk of self-harm, su***de attempts and death.
In those individuals at high risk of bipolar or psychotic disorders, such as people with family histories, studies show the use of ma*****na raises the risk of developing a psychotic or mental health disorder. Using it after the onset of a mental condition can worsen cognition and the chance of relapse.
"While there may be thousands, perhaps millions, of people who use cannabis sporadically, in very modest amounts and do not experience adverse events, we also know of people who used cannabis a few times and suffered catastrophic adverse events that altered the trajectory of their life forever," D'Souza said.
"If you are a daily user of high potency cannabis, for example, you may be six times more likely to develop a psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder than somebody who's never used cannabis," he said.
Contributing to the problem: The amount of THC in today's ma*****na has skyrocketed from approximately 4% in the 1970s to an average of 18% to 20% today, D'Souza said.
"You can now buy cannabis in dispensaries that has a THC content of 35%," he said. "Ma*****na concentrates, which are similar to ni****ne concentrates, have a THC content of 80%. That's about 20 times greater than the THC content of cannabis from the 1960s and '70s."
High potency w**d is contributing to a rise in addiction as well. In the United States, about 3 in 10 people who use ma*****na have cannabis use disorder, the medical term for ma*****na addiction, according to the US Centers for Disease and Prevention.
Cannabis use disorder, also known as ma*****na use disorder, is associated with dependence on the use of w**d. People are considered dependent on w**d when they feel food cravings or have a lack of appetite, irritability, restlessness, and mood and sleep difficulties after quitting, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse."
https://abc7.com/post/scientists-say-ma*****na-doesnt-ease-anxiety-other-mental-health-conditions/18724550/?link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=69c0433f8b5d830001d231a3&userab=abcn_du_cat_topic_feature_holdout-474*variant_b_redesign-1939%2Cabcn_popular_reads_exp-527*variant_b_autotags-2201%2Cotv_web_content_rec-539*variant_c_trending-2268&fbclid=IwdGRjcAQu4b9jbGNrBC7gPmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHtW1rBvJ_ZYIpBHB6Vk8qdSz_aLhcjkI4NOv2AYub9yFdLNEgG9zLkpg9CE9_aem_Fu6dcZGag3k68luDwjpsiA
Using medical or recreational ma*****na to ease symptoms of numerous mental health conditions doesn't work, according to two new analyses of existing gold-standard research.
