Researchers find medical marijuana may not be so good for long-term treatment of depression. (Science Daily: This is your brain on (legal) cannabis: Researchers seek answers)
As a fifty-year-stoner, I'm puzzled as to why they even ask what bearing ganja has on depression since we have only denied a zillion times or so the idea it has anything to do with the matter. Nevertheless, here's the science.
"One thing we wanted to focus on was the significance of Colorado, the first state to legalize recreational cannabis, and its own unique population and use that occurs here," Troup said.
Through the study, which was based solely upon self-reported use of the drug, the researchers sought to draw correlations between depressive or anxious symptoms and cannabis consumption.
In other words, "if they were using cannabis for self-medication, it wasn't doing what they thought it was doing," explained co-author Jacob Braunwalder, a recently graduated student researcher in Troup's lab.
For example, said Andrzejewski, "there is a common perception that cannabis relieves anxiety." Yet research has yet to support this claim fully, he said.
"It is important not to demonize cannabis, but also not to glorify it," Troup said. "What we want to do is study it, and understand what it does. That's what drives us."
As a fifty-year-stoner, I'm puzzled as to why they even ask what bearing ganja has on depression since we have only denied a zillion times or so the idea it has anything to do with the matter. Nevertheless, here's the science.
"One thing we wanted to focus on was the significance of Colorado, the first state to legalize recreational cannabis, and its own unique population and use that occurs here," Troup said.
Through the study, which was based solely upon self-reported use of the drug, the researchers sought to draw correlations between depressive or anxious symptoms and cannabis consumption.
- Science Daily
Alert! Alert! This is sounding like case building.
They found that those respondents categorized with subclinical depression, who reported using the drug to treat their depressive symptoms, scored lower on their anxiety symptoms than on their depressive symptoms - so, they were actually more depressed than they were anxious. The same was true for self-reported anxiety sufferers: they were found to be more anxious than they were depressed.
In other words, "if they were using cannabis for self-medication, it wasn't doing what they thought it was doing," explained co-author Jacob Braunwalder, a recently graduated student researcher in Troup's lab.
- Science Daily
So far all we're seeing is so what but maybe there's more.
The researchers are quick to point out that their analysis does not say that cannabis causes depression or anxiety, nor that it cures it. But it underscores the need for further study around how the brain is affected by the drug, in light of legalization, and by some accounts, more widespread use in Colorado since legalization.
For example, said Andrzejewski, "there is a common perception that cannabis relieves anxiety." Yet research has yet to support this claim fully, he said.
- Science Daily
Regulars have likely seen many times when I've said ganja does nothing toward making me sleepy but rather it wires me and I like the engagement ... a lot. I don't smoke more ganja before I sleep but rather less.
We're also kind of tired of references to 'self-medicating' since what else can you do with ganja. It's a damn drug. It doesn't do anything except medicate and the quibble is over whether you like or approve of the effect. From what I've read of this article so far, the researchers have little to no idea of the effect.
Moving forward, the researchers want to refine their results and concentrate on respondents' level and length of exposure to legally available high-THC products like concentrates and hash oils, around which there has been little scientific inquiry.
"It is important not to demonize cannabis, but also not to glorify it," Troup said. "What we want to do is study it, and understand what it does. That's what drives us."
- Science Daily
First off, that lot has to lose simple hipster cliches like 'moving forward' or 'going forward' since we don't see a reason in this article to ever talk to them and we seriously don't care what drives them. It looks like they're on a fast path to the Dr Phil Show.
The article is available in its entirety on the link. Have a ball.
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