Can Cannabis Help Ease The Mind In The Age Of COVID-19? New Study Shows It Can

THE SEVENTH RESEARCH STUDY PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO AND RELEAF APP CONCLUDES THAT INDIVIDUALS REPORT CANNABIS FLOWER EFFECTIVE IN PROVIDING ANXIETY, STRESS, AND AGITATION/IRRITABILITY RELIEF. 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The founders of University of New Mexico’s Marijuana Research Fund, Jacob Vigil, Psychology Associate Professor at UNM, and Sarah See Stith, Economics Assistant Professor at UNM, found that cannabis flower was reported to be effective in providing relief for individuals dealing with distress-related symptoms such as Anxiety, Stress, and Agitation/Irritability. The study reviewed data collected by the Releaf App (ww.releafapp.com), the largest repository of real-time cannabis usage sessions in the United States (US), and found that over 95% of the time Cannabis users experienced an immediate stress reduction that averaged roughly 4 points on a 0-10 point scale. 

The study observed 2,366 cannabis flower self-administration sessions reported anonymously by 670 individuals who tracked their cannabis use for treating these symptoms in the Releaf App - the highest rated mobile app for individuals to track, learn from, and improve their use of cannabis & CBD. 

In the study titled, “The Effectiveness of Inhaled Cannabis Flower for the Treatment of Agitation/Irritability, Anxiety, and Common Stress”, published in the Journal of Cannabis Research investigators showed that while a minority of users experience heightened feelings of anxiety after consuming Cannabis, the average user is far more likely to experience significant stress reduction. Moreover, the plant characteristic with the strongest correlation with stress relief was tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, with higher THC generally being associated with greater anti-anxiety effects. 

Anxiety is the second most common mental health disorder in the U.S., affecting roughly 40 million adults in the U.S., or 18% of the population. Stress is reported to affect nearly one-third of Americans with 48% stating their stress has increased over the past five years. Stress and anxiety can have a significant impact on one's day-to-day activities leading them to experience other symptoms such as agitation, irritability, and/or feeling uptight. While many individuals report that cannabis is great for relieving anxiety and stress, current studies have mixed reviews. Individuals are often advised that THC in cannabis is more anxiety-inducing, while CBD is more anxiety-reducing. UNM researchers found the opposite in this study.

“The finding that THC is a stronger predictor of anxiolytic effects than is its non-psychedelic cousin, cannabidiol, or CBD, is not surprising, given that THC is a partial agonist of Cannabinoid 1 receptors, which are located throughout the central nervous system and brain regions responsible to detecting and responding to threats in our environment,” describes investigator Dr. Jacob Miguel Vigil. “CBD on the other hand is more likely to operate behind the scenes in ways that, while likely quite beneficial for general health, are not as effective at regulating affective responses, or what we commonly refer to as ‘our feelings’.”  

The current study helps explain why many patients  attempting  to  treat   feelings  of  distress often voluntarily substitute medical cannabis for several classes of prescription medications, including those used to treat  negative affect (e.g., SSRIs, SNRIs, TCAs,  MAOIs,  beta  blockers,  atypical  antipsychotics, and  benzodiazepines), once given the legal opportunity to do so. Alcohol and many conventional psychiatric medications are associated with frequent and severe negative side-effects, adverse reactions, acute toxicity, and even risk of death. 

“Our data and research continue to show that it’s not all about CBD. Our data indicates that the right ratio of CBD and THC is most likely to deliver the most symptom relief.” says Keenan Keeling, CEO of MoreBetter the company behind Releaf App. “The insights we are learning from Releaf App proves we still have a lot to learn regarding cannabis as a form of treatment. We are excited to continue our work with brands, researchers, healthcare professionals, and dispensaries to help them identify the best formulations for consumers’ symptom relief.” 

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, April 2020, Releaf App found an increase of 11.5% in mental health outcomes (anxiety, depression, and stress), and a 17.7% increase in anxiety outcomes specifically. 

Dr. Sarah See Stith points out, “Widespread stay-at-home orders reduced access to the healthcare providers necessary to obtain conventional treatment for mental health disorders, meaning access to cannabis likely allowed individuals suffering from COVID-induced anxiety and stress to obtain treatment, when they otherwise would have remained untreated. This disparity in access to conventional healthcare relative to cannabis may have long-term public health consequences, if it increases substitution of cannabis for conventional treatment of anxiety-related disorders.”  

About Releaf App

MoreBetter (dba Releaf App) is a big data and Software-as-a-Service company supported by patent-pending technology that collects real world evidence-based outcomes from cannabis & hemp consumers to benefit businesses, medical professionals, researchers, government organizations, and other stakeholders in the cannabis supply chain. MoreBetter uses information collected in Releaf App to provide data-backed insights on seed to outcome trends that help inform industry best practices and improve the consumer experience.

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