It is a common thought that marijuana can cure any and all problems. But in reality, it doesn't help everything. Sure, it can be beneficial for cancer patients, people with ADHD, and people with strong anxiety. With this in mind, we also have to look at the consequences. Marijuana can be very destructive to some people's mental health.
In my first semester of college, I had a friend who was smoking marijuana almost daily, for the fun of it. She was also on medication for her anxiety and depression. Everything was fine until one night, she had a really horrible experience with her medication and the marijuana mixing in a bad way. She never read up on it before she started to smoke, but when she did, she realized that it was not the best for her to be using both her prescribed medication and weed.
Weed can be classified as a psychoactive drug that mellows people out. Compare that stance with alcohol. “Alcohol is an extreme depressant, and the combination of alcohol and depression is a very malignant condition,” says Dr. Andrew Saxon, chair of the American Psychiatric Association’s Council on Addiction Psychiatry.
While alcohol and depression can be worse than cannabis and depression, they still don't make the best pair. There is evidence of a toxic relationship between the two. A 2017 study published in the journal Addiction found that teenagers who suffered chronic depression were more likely to develop marijuana-use disorder later in life. Marijuana use has also been linked to depression and anxiety, and with suicidal thoughts amongst teens. However, it is not known whether this is a causal relationship or simply an association.
There is currently no scientific evidence to support the use of marijuana as an effective treatment for any psychiatric illness. Many doctors and psychiatrists agree that while pot doesn't particularly hurt people with severe depression, it isn't helping either, meaning someone who smokes weed and has depression will get nowhere with recovery.
Even though marijuana is not a depressant, it does tend to be sedating. This can promote social isolation or lack of social interaction. When someone is severely depressed, they should not be in isolation because they should be with other people who are trying to help them. Being socially isolated is just going to make someone continue to be stuck in this spiraling hole of sadness.
It is understandable that people who suffer from depression want to turn to weed to numb the pain because it is the easiest to get to. It is such a hard thing to live with. But the fact is, there is no real evidence that proves marijuana will help with depression. People who are suffering need to get real help from a doctor/therapist and get treated the safest (and legal, for now) way possible. To make sure people can get help, we need to reduce the stigma of getting help for mental illness. People won't need to settle for something that may be harmful to them.
Before you do something you're not sure of, read about it. Make sure it is the safest option for you. It could make things worse or make suffering with depression a longer battle than it needs to be.
