Article Written by Richard Cowan, former NORML National Director and syndicated author on marijuana prohibition, CBD and hemp. His column can be found on Marijuana Weekly News blog.
The Covid-19 pandemic is getting worse by the day, threatening our already overburdened healthcare system. The economic consequences are being compounded by renewed retail shutdowns, uncertainty about schools opening, racial tensions, and the crazier than normal political campaigns, and, frankly, President Trump acts weirder by the day.
Shelter in place” orders have many people asking, “What shelter? What place?” And there is a record breaking heat wave.
At the individual level, people are wrecking their lives by having public meltdowns caught on camera. (Isn’t everything?) “
In short, America is beginning to resemble Johnny Depp’s divorce.
But there is some good news. Forbes is reporting that a new study published by the University Of New Mexico and Releaf App in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, says, “Cannabis flower may be effective in providing immediate relief for the symptoms of depression – a condition affecting roughly 1 in 5 adults in the U.S., and often leading to other ailments like cancer, substance use disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, dementia, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic pain…
“The findings suggest that, at least in the short term, the vast majority of patients that use cannabis experience antidepressant effects, although the magnitude of the effect and extent of side effect experiences vary with chemotypic properties of the plant.”
UNM Study: Cannabis Is Effective In Treating Depression, Improving Mental Health
“After reviewing 5,876 outcomes reported anonymously by 1,819 individuals tracking their cannabis use for treating depression through the Releaf App, the researchers concluded that, on average, patients reported an improvement in symptom of nearly 4 points on a scale of 0 to 10, just moments after consuming whole, dried, natural cannabis flower…
By means of comparison, readers should know that conventional pharmaceuticals used for the treatment of the symptoms of depression… normally take several weeks, or even months, to start causing significant relief. Furthermore, the study notes that the potential side effects associated with these traditional pharma products include sedation, agitation, anxiety, anorgasmia, demotivation, and suicidal ideation…”
In addition, there are also numerous studies of the benefits of CBD to deal with stress, which is good news for people who do not live in states where medical marijuana is not legal.
See The therapeutic role of Cannabidiol in mental health: a systematic review
Unfortunately, the bad news is that marijuana prohibition continues to take its toll on Americans. There are still almost 2,000 arrests for simple possession everyday, and more Americans are arrested for marijuana than for all the violent crimes combined.
Depressing, eh?
Richard Cowan is a former NORML National Director and syndicated author on marijuana prohibition, CBD and hemp. His column can be found on Marijuana Weekly News blog.
