We’ve all experienced stress at one time or another. And everyone has their way of dealing with it—maybe you go for a bike ride, take your dog for a walk, kick back with a good book or wind down with your favorite TV show. But did you know that cannabis may be one of the best stress relievers out there?
That’s because marijuana contains cannabinoids that interact with our endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is made up of receptors responsible for releasing hormones like endorphins that create a sense of euphoria and relaxation. The ECS also helps keep our bodies balanced and if we’re in balance and good health, we’re less likely to experience the negative effects of stress.
Here are the top three questions about cannabis and stress from our Answers platform. Members of our community including doctors and experienced cannabis consumers supplied the answers—answers that we hope you find valuable.
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Q: What is the best product for stress?
Answer: @veronicab Hi there! Cannabis is an excellent stress-buster. Many marijuana products will be able to assist you with stress-relief, but check out our articles that discuss eliminating stress with cannabis.
Q: I have a lot of stress and anxiety and wonder if OG Kush may be a good strain to try for this?
Answer: drolson If you’ve never tried OG Kush, I would caution you starting with that strain. To start, I think it’s wise to take CBD cannabis to calm the stress and anxiety and to keep the CBD levels steady, then you can add OG Kush. Since OG Kush is high in THC and low in CBD, your stress may improve but you could be vulnerable to anxiety. You don’t want to do a high dose of CBD close to the time you take your OG Kush or you will end up with high CBD and high THC, potentially making you go to sleep.
OG Kush does not have a lot of negative effects, mostly it is uplifting, relaxing and can even make you happy. But consider having some drops of CBD cannabis on hand so if you experience anxiety you can put one or two drops CBD tincture under your tongue for a calming effect. If your body is cannabis friendly, you could just try the OG Kush as long as you have drops of CBD available for buffering.
Good luck in your experiment and remember any bad experience will wear off in a couple hours. Once you know how your body responds to CBD as well as THC, you will be in control.
Q: Best strain for daytime use?
I use cannabis for stress and anxiety relief, but do not like feeling "sleepy" during the day. What strain would be best for mid-day use?
Answer: @mark Look for any strain in the sativa category, as these are better for daytime use. There are many to choose from and so your choice is more likely to depend what is available to you at your local dispensary.
There are a good selection of strains and their effects listed in the HelloMD Products section. Use the filters at the top to help narrow your choices.
Photo credit: Jad Limcaco
If you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our Cannabis 101 post. HelloMD can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it’s 100% online, private and efficient.
