Releaf App and The University of New Mexico published a study conducted in 2020 in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine. The study focused on the cannabis flower and its ability to provide effective and immediate relief for the symptoms of depression.
Depression is a psychological condition that affects an average of one in every five adults in the U.S, and can lead to other mental and physical conditions such as cancer, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, substance use disorders, dementia, cardiovascular disease, and chronic pain.
The study suggested that most patients who use cannabis experienced antidepressant effects after consumption for the short term. The study further states, “the magnitude of the effect and extent of side effect experiences vary with phenotypic properties of the cannabis plant.”
The Effectiveness of Cannabis Flower for Immediate Relief from Symptoms of Depression was led by the University of New Mexico’s Marijuana Research Fund’s founders, Sarah See Stithm, an Economics Assistant Professor at the university, and Jacob Miguel Vigil, a Psychology Associate Professor at the University of New Mexico.
The study involved reviewing 5,876 outcomes that were reported anonymously by 1,819 individuals that had been tracking their marijuana usage for treating depression through the Releaf App. After reviewing the data, the researchers concluded that patients reported a decrease in symptoms of nearly 4 points on a scale of 0 to 10 when estimating any changes to their symptoms after consuming cannabis buds.
Compared to conventional pharmaceuticals used for the treatment of the symptoms of depression, such as monoamine oxidase inhibitors, selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors, tricyclics antidepressants, and selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors usually take several weeks or even months to provide significant relief. However, the effectiveness of the patient’s depression symptoms decreased significantly after consuming cannabis.
The study notes that the potential side effects of these traditional pharmaceutical products include agitation, sedation, anxiety, demotivation, suicidal ideation, and anorgasmia.
Jacob Miguel Vigil stated that one of the exciting findings from the study conducted is that the cannabis flower, with relatively high levels of THC or tetrahydrocannabinol, is mainly associated with immediate reductions of depressive feelings. The differences in the relative side effects and in time-to-effect across products and users could arise from other antidepressant and synergistic compounds in cannabis beyond the THC or CBD (cannabidiol, and other minor cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes).
The study further found that most patients who use natural marijuana flower products to treat their depression symptoms vouched for the plants’ antidepressant effects. The magnitude of these effects and the extent of the experiences of side effects showed variations concerning the properties of each strain of cannabis.
In addition, the investigators discovered that one in five individuals using cannabis containing high levels of THC had some adverse side effects, like feeling unmotivated. However, the reports further state that the individuals in the study were three times as likely to experience positive side effects such as optimism, relaxation, happiness, and peacefulness.
CEO of MoreBetter, the parent company of Releaf App, Keenan Keeling, said that over the last few years, it has been increasingly clear that the individuals who use the Releaf App are tracking their mental health symptoms in increasing detail to better understand how marijuana may help provide them with relief.
Keeling further stated that historically, the company had seen the efficacy of cannabis-related studies investigating the effects of cannabis relating to chronic physical ailments like cancer, pain, and epilepsy. Keeling mentioned that it is becoming increasingly important and relevant to understand how the cannabis plant can affect depression and other mental health disorders.
Vigil concludes by stating that there is no end to the depression epidemic and the given limitations and potentially severe adverse side effects of conventional antidepressant medications.
“People need to be able to treat mood disturbances with safe, natural, and effective substances.”
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