Greeley Gallery’s North Portland dispensary shares options for treating stress with cannabis
Recreational and medicinal cannabis became fully legalized in Oregon in 2014, the same year Greeley Gallery’s North Portland dispensary opened. So, we’ve been here since the beginning, and have witnessed the world change since we first opened our doors. Between having easier access and the increased stress of modern life today, more people are turning to cannabis for stress management.
Research shows that anxiety is the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting one in five adults. Meanwhile, an estimated 61.8 million Americans report using cannabis, and rank stress relief as the second most common medical application after chronic pain.
Considering this, it’s no surprise that both novice and experienced consumers increasingly ask our staff the same question: What weed is best for stress? As a medicinal and recreational cannabis dispensary, we thought we’d share our favorites along with science-based reccomendations for treating stress with cannabis.
Stress in the Body
A big reason cannabis works as an efficient stress reliever relates to how stress works in our bodies. The human body has a dedicated stress management system called the endocannabinoid system (ECS), which was discovered in the 1990s. Researchers are still learning about this elusive system, but so far, it seems to be involved in maintaining homeostasis in various physiological processes. In other words, the ECS plays a role in regulating our stress, along with many other functions, including our sleep, mood, memory, fertility, pain response, and appetite.
The ECS has three core components: endocannabinoids, receptors, and enzymes. Cannabinoids are a group of different chemicals or compounds, and endocannabinoids are a class of cannabinoids that are produced by our bodies whenever we need them. We have receptors throughout the ECS that endocannabinoids bind to that alert the system to take action. And then we have enzymes that assist with the chemical reactions and help break down the endocannabinoids after they’ve served their purpose.
When it comes to stress management, endocannabinoids help calm the amygdala, known as the brain’s fear center, by reducing its reactivity to threat signals. They also enhance connectivity in our brain’s prefrontal cortex, which helps improve our emotional regulation in response to stress. Meanwhile, they boost synaptic plasticity in our hippocampus, which also dampens our fear. In other words, endocannabinoids act as natural stress buffers that help prevent anxiety before it begins.
While our bodies naturally produce endocannabinoids, plants also produce cannabinoids called phytocannabinoids – and the cannabis plant has a whole lot of them. So far, over 100 different cannabinoids have been found in cannabis, the two most famous of which are Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD).
The most significant difference between THC and CBD is that THC is responsible for the psychoactive effects, or high, that cannabis is known for, while CBD does not.
So, Which is Better at Managing Stress?
When it comes to cannabis stress management, research shows that CBD is the clear winner. However, THC can also be effective in low doses.
