Government-Funded Study: Cannabis May Treat Depression Caused By Chronic Stress
Researchers at
the University of Buffalo, with a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, have found that cannabis may provide a treatment option for depression that results from chronic stress.
“In the animal models we studied, we saw that chronic stress reduced the production of endocannabinoids, leading to depression-like behavior,” said senior research scientist Samir Haj-Dahmane, PhD, in a press release sent out this week. “Using compounds derived from cannabis — marijuana — to restore normal endocannabinoid function could potentially help stabilize moods and ease depression”, he says.
Haj-Dahmane points out that data is only preliminary, but is nonetheless promising;
“Our research thus far has used animal models; there is still a long way to go before we know whether this can be effective in humans,” he says. “However, we have seen that some people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder have reported relief using marijuana.”
Haj-Dahmane says the next step in the research is to see if using a cannabis extract, cannabidiol (CBD), restores normal behaviors in the animals without leading to dependence.
– TheJointBlog
scott
LOL I’m living proof cannabis is great for humans been researching it as the guinea pig since 1968. I’ll volenteer to be a human subject anytime they want me to test any strain, extract, oil or edibles. I also have 15 years of LEGAL MEDICAL CANNABIS research and have been cancer-free since 2000 on THC oil. been medically legal since 2000 when my civilian MD recommend i use it legally for my stage 4 and I’m a 15 yr (Nam vet ) survivor of cancer.