Research shows that cannabis might be a safer, more effective way to treat depression
Depression is more than just a cry for attention; it is a serious disease that affects hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. alone. There are a variety of lab-created medicines that can offer relief, but which don’t have the capability to reverse the disease. They also carry serious side effects that are sometimes worse than depression itself. New research is showing, however, that cannabis might be a safer alternative and could also be more effective than prescription medicines.
Cannabidiol (CBD) has already been proven to be an effective antipsychotic. The key is in the dose, which can either help CBD be used as a medicine or cause mental problems. According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), “The relationship between cannabis use and risk of schizophrenia appears to be dose-dependent,” but “sharp increases in global cannabis use in recent decades has not increased the incidence of schizophrenia.”
Another factor is the age of the consumer. The WHO adds, “Most of the evidence that cannabis causes schizophrenia comes from studies of during-adolescence users, and adolescence is the period of highest risk for developing schizophrenia. The rates of cannabis-induced psychosis may be lower in patients who commence cannabis use in adulthood.”
While there may be some correlation between cannabis and its impact on mental health, the WHO asserts that the problem is not something to be concerned about. It adds, “The vast majority of people who use cannabis will never develop a psychotic disorder, and those who do are likely to have some genetic vulnerability to cannabis-induced psychosis.”
