Reading the Research: CBD for Anxiety and Pain Relief

Welcome back to Reading the Research, where I trawl the Internet to find noteworthy research on autism and related subjects, then discuss it in brief with bits from my own life, research, and observations.

Today's article deals with a somewhat touchy subject for some people: marijuana.  More specifically, it dives into the two major chemicals in marijuana that influence why people use it.  The first, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), is what we popularly associate with marijuana, that is, the "getting high" and euphoria effects.  The second, which isn't nearly so well known, is called CBD (cannabidiol).  CBD produces anti-anxiety and pain relief effects.  

Marijuana has been taken medicinally for hundreds of years, long before the current debate over legalization sparked.  Conditions like cancer, chronic pain, HIV/AIDS, and even glaucoma are treatable in Michigan with medical marijuana.  While I'm sure the euphoria part doesn't hurt, the bulk of the medical benefit is from the CBD.  It's perhaps not surprising, then, given the stigma around marijuana itself, that some companies have taken it upon themselves to separate out the CBD from the marijuana plants and sell the resulting product.  A common form of this is an oil, which you can ingest or mix into things. 

This is a sample-sized bottle of CBD oil.  This particular source, Plus CBD Oil, has the recommendation of my doctor.  

As marijuana is still a Schedule 1 drug in federal law, it's important to note that this CBD oil has no THC and does not count as marijuana itself.  It is strictly a medical product, and can be bought online.  As such, I've tried it.  I didn't notice any particular positive effects, personally, but I know people who do regularly use it for coping with chronic pain, depression, and anxiety. 

Naturally, I expect the euphoria and "high" feeling that come with marijuana proper would also help with depression and anxiety... it's probably hard to be depressed or anxious if you're feeling really good and can't focus very well but feel no need to.  Not strictly helpful in a work environment, but I bet as ways to relax go, it's pretty good. 

In just a couple weeks, my home state of Michigan will vote on whether to legalize recreational marijuana (ie: so any adult can use it, regardless of medical need).  I'm hopeful the vote will pass, as I'm vaguely curious about the proper stuff.  As a child, I kept far away from drugs.  That included alcohol, until I turned 21 and felt sufficiently confident in myself to try it in carefully controlled environments. 

After that, I acquired a selection of alcohols, got some trusted friends to keep an eye on me, and got to work figuring out my tolerances.  I started small, with cheap rum, and over a few weeks, got a sense for how my body handled the low-grade poisoning that is tipsiness and drunkenness.  It'd be interesting to do the same with marijuana, and see if the high and medicinal effects could help with my anxiety and depression.  That'll only happen if it becomes legal, though.