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Meet the People Trading Their Anti-Anxiety Meds in for Cannabis
Anxiety isn’t a qualifying condition for medical marijuana use in most states, but it’s still being used for that condition
In case you missed it, cannabis is no longer just the stuff of stoners. People from all walks of life are turning to cannabis as a remedy for what ails them — including chronic pain, epilepsy, and anxiety — and not necessarily as a means of getting high. It’s estimated that there are over 2 million legal medical marijuana patients in the United States.
Anxiety isn’t recognized as a “qualifying condition” in most states where medical marijuana is legal, but data suggests there’s a movement of people using cannabis to reduce their anxiety, with some even going so far as to forego their anti-anxiety medication for a more “natural” solution.
Currently, anxiolytics (such as Xanax or Klonopin) and antidepressants (like Prozac or Zoloft) are the norm for treating anxiety disorders — alone or in conjunction with therapy. However, anxiolytics are habit-forming and are not meant for long-term use, and antidepressants, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are the most common class of the drugs, can have side effects ranging from sexual dysfunction and gastrointestinal problems to suicidal thoughts.
On top of that, the available medications aren’t necessarily effective for everybody who takes them. It’s estimated that about one-third of Americans with depression have a form of the condition that’s resistant to treatment.
Between the side effects and ineffectiveness, some anxiety sufferers are looking elsewhere for relief from anxiety attacks and feelings of dread, and cannabis is becoming an unlikely ally. Recent studies show that a large number of people who use medical marijuana are using cannabis for that purpose. One California study across nine medical marijuana evaluation clinics showed that nearly 38% of people used cannabis to relieve anxiety, while a Washington state study showed that 58% of people who use medical marijuana said they used cannabis for their anxiety, too. The majority of these people claim their anxiety symptoms are reduced thanks to the plant.
