Cannabis for the treatment of anxiety

For many years there was misinformation about anxiety disorders. According to the youth barometer of life and health, carried out by the Fundación de Ayuda Contra las Drogas and the Fundación Mutua Madrileña, only half of the people who feel the symptoms of mental disorders go to a specialist for fear of social stigma.

In Latin America there are more and more cases of people with anxiety every day and unfortunately Brazil is the most anxious country in the continent according to the World Health Organization where 11.5 million people suffer from this disease or almost 5.8% of the population.

The figure is alarming, and because there is a high percentage of Brazilians with anxiety treated with medications that bring side effects such as amnesia, nausea, drowsiness and dizziness, medical cannabis has arrived as a promising alternative for people with anxiety to use. This, added to the scientific discoveries that have proven that cannabis is a good option for the treatment of anxiety, taking into account that it has no side effects, thus becoming a medicine that people can use safely, knowing that it is convenient and acceptable in the treatment to alleviate the symptoms of the disorder.

This is supported by research around the world, such is the case of a research done by the University of New Mexico (UNM), where the rapid effects of cannabis on anxiety symptoms were examined. These data showed that there is an improvement in symptoms of almost 4 points on a scale of 0 to 10.

Similarly, research conducted by Washington State University looked at the short and long term effects of cannabis on anxiety symptoms. More than 50% reported that there was a reduction of traumatic memories and thoughts, thus they had a reduction in anxiety symptoms. It should be noted that in the study there was no comparison with groups using placebos.

Although research continues to advance in the scientific world on the subject, a recent Canadian study is a clear example that cannabis is effective in the treatment of anxiety. Researchers have concluded that "it shows promise as a clinically relevant treatment for patients with nightmares and a history of no response to traditional therapies".

Fuentes:

(IndeovBrasil Magazine, 2020)

https://indeov.com/2020/10/30/cannabis-no-tratamento-da-ansiedade-e-da-

depressao/

(National Association of Private Hospitals, 2019)

https://www.anahp.com.br/noticias/noticias-do-mercado/brasil-e-lider-em-

ranking-of-anxiety-and-occupational-depression-in-latin-america/

(Third Sector Observatory, 2018)

https://observatorio3setor.org.br/noticias/brasil-e-o-pais-mais-depressivo-da-

america-latina-second-oms/