Every generation born into an ever-modernizing society experiences a higher degree of overall stress than the previous generation. There is always more to do but only the same amount of time in which to do it. Constant and unrelenting chronic stress is not conducive to good mental health. In recent decades, chronic stress has arguably caused one or more anxiety disorders in large swatches of the population. Relief is in order.
Today, there are millions of people who are overwhelmed by societal and personal life trauma and that walk around each day laboring beneath a dark cloud of depression or at the mercy of merciless anxieties. An increasing number of studies show the controlled use of marijuana products, particularly those with the right balance of THC and CBD, may offer a way out of this dark maze.
True Health Is the Goal
For many generations, Americans were taught to look to the medical profession for guidance and support. Sadly, neither this industry nor its parent industry, Big Pharma, has done much to promote overall health. Instead, the medical industry focuses on pharmaceutical drugs to treat (not cure) symptoms of sickness and disease, not coincidentally making its stockholders a great deal of money.
Nature’s Way – Plants for Food and Medicine
The all-important topics of prevention, nutrition, food as medicine, herbs, supplements, alternative therapies – none of these guardians of authentic health seem to interest those in charge of the American health care industry. Big Pharma views marijuana production as competition, not as another industry that shares the goal of healing people and relieving human suffering. Because the same people that control Big Pharma also control world governments, we have a society in which growing a plant for personal consumption is illegal, but pharmaceutical products with side effects that include death are not.
The Pharmaceutical Industry Needs People to Treat
Currently, the pharmaceutical industry has the bullhorn in American medical politics. Remember, its primary goal is profit. The industry creates drugs to sell via prescriptions dispensed thru their dealers, aka medical doctors. These drugs may or may not help patients in their distress. Patients may or may not experience side effects. Of these, some may be worse than the original complaint. Physicians say if one drug doesn’t work that perhaps another will. They’re unperturbed by side effects that create more sick people. The pharmaceutical industry requires a steady stream of sick people to treat.
Marijuana as Medicine
Although it was not discovered until the 1980s, the human body is equipped with a communication and regulatory system known as the endocannabinoid system. This system of receptors is spread throughout the body, with concentrations of receptors in both the brain and central nervous system as well as in the immune system. Under normal conditions, the endocannabinoid system creates cannabinoids as needed. However, from the research available it appears evident that many people’s endocannabinoid systems benefit from supplementation during times of stress. Marijuana’s medicinal influence on the body is undeniable, but note that THC and CBD affect anxiety differently. Small amounts of THC appear to offer relief from anxiety whereas high THC consumption is associated with increased anxiety. Interestingly, CBD provides anxiety relief in all studied dosages to date.
The Complex Relationship Between THC and CBD
The relationship between THC and CBD isn’t entirely understood and is undergoing study. What is known is that THC is responsible for the plant’s psychoactive effects and that CBD offers pharmacological benefits for mental health.
Marijuana from decades past had a far smaller amount of THC, and a higher amount of CBD than that commonly produced today. Many strains today are upwards of 30% THC potency and less than 1% CBD. Pot confiscated in police raids in 1995 on average had a THC/CBD ratio of 14:1. In 2014 this ratio was 80:1. Today it is even higher, the result of soaring THC percentages alongside reduced CBD percentages.
CBD has a modulating effect on THC. The two together are better for the anxiety sufferer and average person than THC alone. (The reason for the imbalance in the ratio of strains being grown today is because CBD is “in the way” of the true pothead’s quest for an ever-higher high.) CBD appears to prevent much of the psychosis that results from the use of high THC products alone. Therefore, it is troubling to anxiety sufferers to learn that most modern marijuana has high THC and low CBD percentages due to deliberate selective breeding.
Finding a Functional Balance Is Key
It is not only possible but likely that a particular percentage balance of THC and CBD is what provides the best anxiety abatement. People seeking anxiety relief through high-THC marijuana alone will overdose on THC long before they get enough CBD. People seeking anxiety relief through marijuana may need to seek high-quality CBD products to blend with small amounts of THC products to achieve a functional balance that works for them.
What constitutes a functional balance for one person may differ for another. Each person’s needs and body chemistry appear different according to their individual circumstances, life experiences, and state of mental health.
Self-Medication Failure Due in Part to Lack of Info
Studies that show the use of marijuana is associated with an increased risk of substance abuse disorders would likely show less of an association if the benefits of CBD were better known. Many people attempting to self-medicate with weed today are unsuccessful because they cannot find the exact product blend that they require. One solution is to become educated and grow your own. Millions of people worldwide have done this much in the way they also have planted vegetable gardens.
Potential Growers Must Learn Best Practices
Any potential grower must study best practices for their area and desired plant type, not to mention security. They must acquire seeds. What types of seeds are best to buy? Where should you start the process of self-education?
Find a Reputable Weed Seed Company
Success in such an endeavor requires growers to purchase use only top-quality weed seeds right from the start. A reputable weed seed company is the best place to start. Good seed companies seek to educate their clientele. The seeds one purchases to begin a crop will have everything to do with end product satisfaction. Even if you do everything else perfectly, if the seeds are of inferior quality, the harvest will be as well. Seed selection is everything. Find a trustworthy company with which to work.
One Stop Info and Weed Seed Shop
One company of note is Kind Seed Co Company. This company s an excellent place for beginners to start learning about the various seed products available, and it is a company from which they can purchase quality seeds. Weed growing is as much a hobby in some parts of the country as grapes for wine are in others and has an equally enthusiastic following. Whether a hobby grower or a production grower needing autoflowering seeds for the most yield per year, they will find the info and seeds, and support they need to get started.
Additional Considerations
The pharmaceutical industry would have you think it is unsafe to medicate yourself, which is patently ridiculous. People self-medicate every day with food and common medications, and this is no different. When you find a natural way that you control yourself from start to finish that works better than pharmaceutical products and truly heals instead of merely managing symptoms, one can expect opposition and a different spin from the media. The powers that be don’t like people thinking for themselves as it leads to a loss in their profits.
Instead, the pharmaceutical industry wants to tell you what drugs you need and can conveniently provide them to you for a price. Even now, they are working to create marijuana-like products to patent and sell, all while warning the public of the dangers of marijuana addiction. Yes, marijuana intoxication is real, but its statistics don’t include those attempting to manage anxiety disorders responsibly. Studies interpretations must note the difference between the results reported from populations merely seeking a mind-altering experience from those who seek to medicate themselves with the most appropriate functional dose.
Unbiased studies of the beneficial effects of THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids and terpenes are sorely needed. Fortunately, this fact is beginning to be understood by the general populace. Another area worthy of exploration is that of treating anxiety disorders with marijuana in conjunction with skilled psychotherapy. Anecdotal observations abound, claiming this combination can knock years off of recovery time, allowing connections to be made more rapidly and healing to occur more quickly than if either were used alone.
Conclusions
In conclusion, it seems evident that marijuana intoxication is real and has the power to damage the mind when consumed in the wrong dosages and settings. However, marijuana used responsibly can heal the mind as well, and this is an exciting aspect of this plant that society is well-advised to explore. With forethought and good intention, insightful and beneficial studies in this area will continue as long as people are open-minded enough to realize medicinal benefits from this fascinating and powerful plant.
