A recent study published in journal Psychopharmacology has helped show how marijuana can reduce stress in the human body.
The study also helps suggest that marijuana compounds can be more effective and more safe in alleviating anxiety compared to prescription anxiety medicine.
The study tracked cortisol amounts in study participants’ saliva. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone and indicates stress. The higher the number means the more stressed the person is.
The study used a group of daily marijuana users and compared their stress responses to a group of non-marijuana users.
The results indicated that regular users had a “blunted” response to acute stress. Regular use of marijuana had turned down their internal stress engines.
“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the effects of acute stress on salivary cortisol levels in chronic cannabis users compared to non-users,” said Carrie Cuttler, who was the study co-author and clinical assistant professor of psychology.
“While we are not at a point where we are comfortable saying whether this muted stress response is a good thing or a bad thing, our work is an important first step in investigating potential therapeutic benefits of cannabis at a time when its use is spreading faster than ever before.”
