Study Finds CBD Products More Helpful In Easing Anxiety Than THC

BOULDER, CO – A new study by the University of Colorado Boulder shows promise for people suffering from anxiety who use cannabis products high in the compound CBD.

One of its main conclusions is that the CBD products are more effective at alleviating anxiety than those dominated by THC, the  psychoactive component of marijuana, without carrying the associated side effects.

The study of 300 people who suffer from anxiety was published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

“We need more data before we can say conclusively that there are long-term, beneficial effects, but the short-term effects were very clear: CBD was associated with tension and anxiety relief with limited harm,” said senior author Cinnamon Bidwell, associate professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and the Institute of Cognitive Science.

Of the 300 participants recruited for the research, 42 were not cannabis users while 258 had tried it at some point. The larger group was assigned to use one of three flower products: a THC-dominant product (24% THC and 1% CBD); a CBD-dominant product (1% THC, 24% CBD); or one with 12% CBD and 12% THC.

All groups reported reduced anxiety by the end of the study, but the cannabis group showed more improvement than the non-cannabis group, and those using CBD-dominant products showed the most improvement of all.

“Our findings suggest that THC did not increase anxiety long-term and that CBD-dominant forms of cannabis were associated with acute tension reduction that may translate to longer-term reductions in anxiety symptoms,” said Gregory Giordano, a professional research assistant at the CU Center for Health and Neuroscience, Genes and Environment (CUChange).

One in five U.S. adults suffer from an anxiety disorder and the condition is one of the top medical reasons patients use cannabis to relieve their symptoms.  The other primary uses are for sleep and pain.

This story is just one of many you’ll find in the Cannabis News section of Cannabutter Digest, your go-to resource for all things cannabis-related. Check out our site to find tasty recipes, useful product reviews, and so much more!