If you're struggling with severe anxiety, you may have wondered at some point if medical marijuana could help you. The simple answer is, yes, medical marijuana may help to reduce your anxiety and stress levels. However, it's important to know what to look for in medical marijuana, or you could actually end up making your anxiety worse. Read on to learn why marijuana can simultaneously help and hurt people with anxiety, and what you can do to make sure you're only getting positive results.  

THC vs CBD

One of the main benefits of medical marijuana for anxiety is that it reduces anxiety and makes people feel less stressed. However, there have also been reports of marijuana making people feel paranoid or anxious, so you might be wondering if it would actually make things worse.

There are two distinct chemicals in marijuana that affect brain chemistry: THC and CBD. THC is the chemical that make people feel euphoric, and it can potentially excite the parts of the brain that are related to anxiety and paranoia. This is why some people feel more anxious or frightened after consuming marijuana.

CBD, on the other hand, doesn't have any negative side effects like THC does. It's also been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties and a wide range of helpful benefits for people struggling with diseases ranging from anxiety to cancer. 

Choosing a Strain

Whether you smoke, eat, or otherwise imbibe medical marijuana, the strain you choose can have a big impact on its effect on you.

Science has shown that CBD can actually counteract the effects of THC. However, if you choose a strain that has extremely high THC levels, you may not get the help you're looking for. Instead, when you go to your dispensary or talk to the doctor that prescribes it to you, ask about low THC, high CBD strains.

Given the medical benefits of CBD and the drawbacks of THC, most dispensaries will carry marijuana strains that are low in THC, extremely high in CBD, or both. Even a strain with a fairly high level of THC should be okay for you so long as the CBD levels are equally high or higher. Your doctor or dispensary employees may be able to make some suggestions for you based on their current stock and availability.

Medical marijuana can help people with anxiety to relax, sleep, and regain their appetites. If you follow these steps, you don't have to worry about potential negative side effects of medical marijuana, and it won't make your anxiety worse.

For more information about medical cannabis, contact a company like Pono Life Sciences, LLC..