Did you know that one in four college students uses a mood stabilizer or antidepressant to treat anxiety?

A growing number of college students are also turning to cannabis for relief from stress.

Anxiety is the most common mental disorder, and cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug on the planet. Put the two together and you’ve got a complementary combination that could enhance student well-being and even improve focus in the classroom.

The benefits of beating anxiety with cannabis

A staggering one in four young adults aged 18-24 is diagnosed with a mental health disorder. This is according to a report by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Among those mental health disorders, anxiety and depression tend to be the most prevalent.

Students may feel thrown off by many things during their college days, whether it is their busy schedule, concerns about failure or social phobias. Thankfully, cannabis has been associated with anxiety-relief, providing university and college students with an opportunity to stay calm and in high spirits.

The natural antidepressant is a safe alternative to prescription medications, many of which can be addictive. Moreover, cannabis can instil a peaceful night’s sleep for students with busy study schedules.

Students are using cannabis to enhance productivity

Dealing with the pressure to achieve high grades in college may cause students to feel stressed or anxious. To overcome this problem, some students seek out “study drugs,” whether it’s by microdosing with LSD or taking a few amphetamines.

Others may choose to knock back some coffee, whereas a growing number of students are choosing cannabis for anxiety. Back in 2014, LiveScience reported how there were more daily cannabis smokers attending university, as opposed to tobacco smokers.

However, there is a misconception surrounding the topic of cannabis that wrongly blames the green plant for detracting from a student’s ability to focus in the classroom.

The American Psychological Association claims that 25 percent of college students use psychiatric medications, such as mood stabilizers and antidepressants. Perhaps this figure would be less if clinicians were more aware of cannabis’ potential as an anxiety treatment. On the plus side, scientific research is (slowly but surely) debunking the myths. For example, the journal Neuron acknowledged the positive influence that dopamine has on productivity.

“The latest scientific evidence shows that [dopamine] acts before the pleasure or reward, encouraging us to act,” said the researchers.

Studies prove cannabis’ efficacy as an anxiety treatment

There is an expanding body of evidence to suggest cannabis’ efficacy as a treatment for anxiety.

“Rich evidence has shown that cannabis products exert a broad gamut of effects on emotional regulation,” one study states.

“The main psychoactive ingredient of hemp, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and its synthetic cannabinoid analogs have been reported to either attenuate or exacerbate anxiety and fear-related behaviors in humans and experimental animals.”

A separate study on cannabidiol (CBD) as a potential treatment for anxiety disorders revealed how the non-psychoactive cannabinoid’s pharmacological structure may regulate mood.

“CBD has a broad pharmacological profile, including interactions with several receptors known to regulate fear and anxiety-related behaviors, specifically the cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1R), the serotonin 5-HT1A receptor, and the transient receptor potential (TRP) vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) receptor,” concluded the study.

With more research of this kind, clinicians can begin recommending cannabis to students who may be battling an anxiety disorder.