Cannabis Clinical Trial Confirms THC and CBD Reduce Anxiety

The use of state-legal cannabis products is associated with reduced levels of anxiety, according to clinical trial data published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

Investigators affiliated with the University of Colorado at Boulder assessed subjects’ use of three distinct cannabis chemovars on symptoms of anxiety. Study participants consumed cannabis flower that was either high in THC, high in CBD, or that contained equal levels of THC and CBD ad libitum for four weeks.

Use of all three cannabis varieties was associated with improvements in anxiety symptoms, NORML reported. Those who consumed cannabis that was high in CBD reported the most significant improvements.

The study’s authors concluded: “This quasi-randomized study showed that individuals with generalized anxiety symptoms who used cannabis 3–4 days per week reported reduced anxiety and improved symptoms over the study. The CBD-dominant strain was associated with the greatest reduction in anxiety-related states both acutely and over a period of four weeks. [These] findings extend data on the anxiolytic effects of CBD to naturalistic use and real-world setting and suggest that these effects over a relatively short time frame may translate into longer-term anxiety reductions.”

In January, British scientists writing in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology Reports similarly reported that patients with generalized anxiety disorder exhibit sustained improvements following the use of cannabis products.