Mental Health Awareness Month 2022: The Mental Benefits of Cannabis

As the legal cannabis industry continues to grow, mature, and develop rapidly, folks are waking up to the wonderful, creative, and mind-bending potential of recreational use of the cannabis plant and the robust and well-studied medical side as well. Along with pushing through legislation to legalize recreationally in 19 states and U.S. territories, another 38 states have established some sort of medical cannabis program of their own.

This normalization on the state level has led to tremendous breakthroughs and groundbreaking studies on the effect that cannabis has on our bodies, our moods, and, perhaps more importantly, our minds.

That's why we here at Where's Weed, especially during Mental Health Awareness Month, want to highlight the many ways that cannabis can have a role in helping someone's mental health. We know it's a tricky and often complicated topic to discuss, which might feel embarrassing or overwhelming to someone dealing with mental health struggles themselves. But we firmly believe that the best way forward is to speak as openly as possible about issues like this that affect people every day, removing the outdated stigma often straddled to those dealing with mental health conditions.

So, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we wanted to do our part here at Where's Weed to break down that outdated stigma and educate our readers about cannabis and mental health, something we do best! So with that in mind, let's get right into it!

How Can Cannabis Affect Your Mental Health?

The well-studied and reputable journals and researchers worldwide are still figuring out exactly how and why cannabinoids and depression are linked to answer the question "does marijuana help with depression" in a definitive and scientifically-backed way. There is not much clinical and comprehensive research regarding marijuana and mental illness. The results have been much more definitive and set into stone regarding anxiety conditions.

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Unlike those wrestling with the idea of medical marijuana for depression, those dealing with complex anxiety-based disorders like PTSD, social anxiety, and general anxiety, to name a few, have long seen the benefits that cannabis can have through self-medication. One of the most commonly cited aspects of cannabis is that it can take your mind off the stuff stressing you out after a long hard day, allowing you to kick back, relax, and think about other things for a while.

Going back to ancient societies in India, the cannabis plant was used to ease anxiety and regularly bring mental clarity to folks. So why can't the same concept apply today, especially with all of the medical and technological advancements society has seen since then?

Now that medical cannabis has been around and recognized as legitimate for nearly two decades, we're gotten the research and clinical trials to back it up. After all, we all know the beneficial marijuana health effects that come along with dosages of medical cannabis products.

Some common effects of using medical cannabis are as follows:

• Helps prevent and reduce the severity of seizures
• Improves overall cognitive abilities when used in moderation with proper dosages
• Helps manage stress often associated with anxiety disorders
• Improves sleep quality
• Clinically shown to reduce symptoms associated with depression and anxiety disorders like PTSD

So with all of this in mind, it's pretty much impossible to argue that cannabis for depression and anxiety disorders is too far off base. On top of that, the side effects when it comes to cannabis consumption are little to none. So before you go off wasting your time punching something like "cannabis side effects mental health" into your search engine of choice, just trust us when we say the most significant things you'll deal with are some dry mouth, watery eyes, and a few classic cases of the after-session munchies.

So now that we have a total overview of the comprehensive clinical uses for doseable medical cannabis, we should shine a light on some of the best strains to go to the next time you show up at the medical dispensary!

With that in mind, we picked out some of the best cannabis for depression and anxiety disorders, with cannabinoid profiles and terpene mixes that are bound the take the edge off of whatever it is you're dealing with.

So with that in mind, let's highlight a few of those strains!

ACDC

This classic, old-school strain is great for puffing on, relaxing, and helping take your mind off all the things that are making you anxious or depressed for a little while. This CBD-dominant strain is packed full of myrcene and pinene to soothe and relax you while delivering a potent hit of cannabinoids for a spacey and calm head high.

When it comes to puffing and relaxing, there are few finer things in the world than this top-notch ACDC strain for taking the edge off!

Granddaddy Purp

Another potent and well-known strain makes our list with Granddaddy Purp, a THC-dominant strain that packs a strong cannabinoid punch. A few hits of this stuff will have you in a peaceful, chilled-out headspace in no time, thanks to the terpene profile full of myrcene and pinene.

Pretty much any way you slice it, this strain should be a go-to option for someone with anxiety to take the edge off a bit.

Jack Herer

For the third and final entry on our list of strain recommendations, we think this strain named after a legal industry icon is the way to go. Perfect for when you're digging deep for a positive mindset but just can't seem to get it going, this strain will chill you out and slow down your brain enough to get things back tinder control.

This THC-dominant strain full of pinene is perfect for when you're looking for a mood adjustment after just a few hits, easing that anxiety and depression enough to get yourself back on track for a minute or two.

We highly recommend this strain for anyone dealing with bouts of anxiety!

The Bottom Line

Here at Where's Weed, we know and appreciate how personal and challenging dealing with mental health issues can be. While everyone is different and has different medical needs. As a result, it's clear that marijuana for depression and anxiety disorders has a clearly defined medical role to play, but that's a conversation that needs to happen between the patient and a certified medical cannabis doctor or general practitioner. You shouldn't start or stop any current medications or mix cannabis without first consulting with a certified cannabis doctor.

Just know that during Mental Health Awareness Month especially, you are seen, you are heard, and you are respected. There's no shame in getting help for mental health conditions, just like there's no shame in going to the hospital if you have a broken bone.