According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 31.1% of adultsTrusted Source in the United States experience an anxiety disorder some time in their lives.

Symptoms of anxiety include:

• feelings of worry
• irritability
• restlessness
• a sense of being on-edge
• difficulty sleeping
• difficulty concentrating

Physical symptoms of anxiety includeTrusted Source:

• increased heart rate
• shortness of breath
• nausea
• sweating
• feeling of weakness
• upset stomach
• dizziness
• hot flashes

There are limited human clinical trials that look at cannabis to treat anxiety. However, growing evidence, from animal studies to cannabis user surveys, suggests the drug could be effective. This is particularly the case when cannabis is in CBD oil form.

One 2010 study found that CBD oil reduced anxiety symptoms in people with social anxiety disorder. Participants had their brains scanned, revealing that CBD oil triggered changes in blood flow to regions in the brain linked with feelings of anxiety.

These findings suggest CBD oil can help treat anxiety. It also reveals the mechanism of how CBD interacts with the brain to achieve this.

A 2015 reviewTrusted Source analyzed previous research into CBD oil, stating the vast majority of the research used animal models. However, based on these studies, CBD oil could potentially reduce several anxiety disorders.

These included post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and social anxiety disorder.

Human studies are needed to confirm these findings in animals. Furthermore, this research generally only used acute CBD dosing. Therefore, scientists need to conduct more studies to establish whether chronic dosing has similar effects, sustained effects, or both.

Learn more about CBD oil for anxiety here.

A 2018 survey looked at cannabis use in easing the symptoms of depression and anxiety. It reveals that medical cannabis users reported a 58% reduction in anxiety and stress.

In addition, females reported a larger reduction in anxiety after using medical cannabis than males. It also showed that high THC and high CBD cannabis gave the most effective results in reducing stress.

In some cases, cannabis use may trigger anxiety.

A 2014 studyTrusted Source analyzed the effectiveness of medical cannabis in treating neurological conditions. The results show that some people using the drug experienced anxiety as an adverse effect. It also suggests a link between anxiety and higher concentrations of THC.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, there is a link between cannabis abuse and anxiety disorders.

However, experts do not know for sure if cannabis use triggers anxiety, or if people with anxiety disorders tend to use more cannabis.

The Drug Enforcement Administration also state that cannabis use can exacerbate anxiety symptoms.

If people do not wish to take cannabis to relieve anxiety, there are several alternative methods to help with symptoms. These include:

• remaining active and engaging in regular exercise
• reducing alcohol consumption
• reducing caffeine consumption
• eating a healthy diet
• psychotherapy or counseling
• cognitive behavioral therapy
• medication, such as antianxiety medication, beta-blockers, or antidepressant

Cannabis contains compounds that may relieve pain, nausea, and other symptoms. The components of cannabis that most studies focus on for pain relief are cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

THC vs. CBD

THC resembles the cannabinoid chemicals that occur naturally in the body. When people ingest or inhale THC, it stimulatesTrusted Source the brain’s cannabinoid receptors.

This activates the brain’s reward system and reduces pain levels. THC is a psychoactive compound as it binds to cannabinoid receptors and produces an elevated state of mind, known as a high.

CBD does not cause a high, although it does interact with pain receptors in the brain to exert pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects.

What the research says

In recent years, many studies have looked at the effects of cannabis for chronic pain. Some studies used parts of the cannabis plant and some have used the entire plant so more research is needed. Using parts of the cannabis plant (like CBD oil) helps study specific actions of that ingredient, but when the whole plant is used there is what is called an entourage effect, where the parts work together to have more effect.

A 2015 reviewTrusted Source of research on the use of cannabis and cannabinoids for various chronic pain conditions reports that several trials had positive results. The researchers suggest that cannabis or cannabinoids may be effective for treating some types of chronic pain including neuropathy (nerve pain).

A research paper from 2016 found that cannabis use for cancer pain led to a 64-percent reduction in opioid use, improved quality of life, and caused fewer medication side effects. It also led to participants using fewer medications.

Smaller studies have reported benefits for other types of chronic pain. For example:

• Of about 17,000 people with cancer, 70 percent reportedly experienced an improvement in pain and general well-being after cannabis use.
• People with chronic migraines experiencedTrusted Source a decrease in migraine episodes after using the drug.

However, there is still a need for more research into the area of cannabis use for chronic pain, especially into the use of different strains, dosages, and methods of delivery.

An Australian studyTrusted Source, published in July 2018, concluded that cannabis use did not reduce the symptoms of pain or the need to use opioid medications. However, the findings were mostly based on reports from people who used the drug recreationally.

Using cannabis specifically for medicinal purposes might yield different results.

Medical cannabis refers to the whole, unprocessed plant or its extracts.

Medical cannabis only has approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Trusted Source as a safe or effective treatment for two conditions. These are rare and severe forms of epilepsy that involve seizures that other drugs have not been able to control.

The name of the drug is Epidiolex. It contains a purified form of CBD, and the FDA gave approval in June 2018.

The FDA have also approved medications containing synthetic THC cannabinoids called dronabinol (Marinol) and nabilone (Cesamet). These drugs reduce nausea in people undergoing cancer treatments and increase appetite in people living with HIV.

The FDA have not yet approved the use of any cannabis drugs for pain relief.

Synthetic cannabis is also the name given to drugs such as K2 or Spice. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)Trusted Source point out that these are not cannabis, they are not safe, and they are not recommended for any purpose. The adverse effects of these drugs can be fatal.

Synthetic cannabis attempts to duplicate the effects of the ingredients in the plant. There is theory that the entire plant has a more profound effect with the different ingredients working together to have an entourage effect.

Cannabis use can cause some side effects, including:

• dependence
• breathing problems
• dizziness
• addiction, which occurs in 9 percent of people who begin use in adulthood
• impaired reaction times
• interactions with medication
• loss of concentration
• memory issues
• mental health issues in those predisposed to them
• rapid heart rate
• withdrawal symptoms

Cannabis is available in several different forms, including:

Oil

It is possible to extract full extract cannabis oil (FECO) from cannabis using grain alcohol or ethanol.

People usually take FECO orally and should only need small quantities to experience benefits.

CBD is another type of cannabis-based oil that is increasingly popular among people with chronic pain.

Topical treatments

People can apply lotions, balms, and salves containing cannabinoids to the skin to relieve pain and inflammation. Transdermal patches that contain cannabinoids are also available and are typically more potent than lotions and salves.

Edibles

Edibles are one of the most popular ways to use cannabis. Edibles involve infusing food, such as cookies, brownies, and candies, with the drug.

Cannabis edibles offer an easy way to take cannabis, but the effects of edibles can be difficult to predict.

Sublingual cannabis

Sublingual administration involves placing a drug under the tongue. The drug enters the bloodstream faster using this method and so it will work more quickly.