According to a new study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, cannabis could be a way to relieve stress.
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and the University of Chicago, IL, investigated the effects of THC, the main ingredient in marijuana, and how it can affect stress.
Emma Childs, the associate professor of psychiatry at the UIC College of Medicine has said, “Very few published studies have looked into the effects of THC on stress, or at the effects of different levels of THC on stress.”
The team at both universities tested 42 healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 40. Each one had some experience with cannabis but was not a daily user. Split into three groups, the team gave low doses to a low dose group of 7.5 milligrams of THC, they gave the moderate-dose group 12.5 milligrams of THC, and the placebo group a capsule that had no THC. Neither the participants or the investigators know who was receiving what.
The participants were in two 4-hour sessions that were five days apart. After taking the capsule they relaxed for two hours to let it enter their bloodstream.
The first session involved a mock job interview where the participants had to get ready. They also were in a five minute interview with lab assistants who did not give any positive feedback, and a five minute math task.
In the second session, they were asked to talk about their favorite book or move for five minutes and then played solitaire for another five minutes.
Professor Childs stated, “The doses used in the study produce effects that are equivalent to only a few puffs of a cannabis cigarette. We didn’t want to include a much larger dose because we wanted to avoid potential adverse effects or cardiovascular effects that can result from higher doses of THC.”
At the beginning, during, and end of each task, participants were told to rate their stress levels and their feelings about the certain task. Blood pressure, heart rate, and levels of the stress hormone cortisol were also measured.
So what were the findings? Low dose participants were found to have less stress than those who were given the placebo.
The higher dose group however reported a negative mood before and during the task.
Across all three groups, there weren’t any major differences in heart rate, blood pressure, or cortisol levels, before, during, or after.
Professor Childs stated, “”Our findings provide some support for the common claim that cannabis is used to reduce stress and relieve tension and anxiety. At the same time, our finding that participants in the higher THC group reported small but significant increases in anxiety and negative mood throughout the test supports the idea that THC can also produce the opposite effect.”
