Dipping my Toes into #CannabisJournalism
University of Denver Winter Interterm
Walking into this classroom at 9am in the morning I had no idea what to expect. Having grown up in the conservative south and then moving to the substantially more liberal Denver for college, was a huge change. Having Jake Browne come in and speak to us on his experiences as a cannabis critic was extremely eye opening as I learned parts of the industry that I did not know existed. I personally have an interest in the uses of Medical Marijuana. Having multiple types of cancer in my family history as well as a few mood disorders I came into this class wanting to focus my attention on the research of medical use of marijuana.
Research So Far
As of right now I want my topic to be on the medical marijuana usage for depression and anxiety. From my small amount of research so far I have found a study that looks directly at the use of marijuana on depression in rats. This study found that there was a significant depletion of endocannabinoids when the rats were under induced depression. Endocannabinoids operate on the same system of receptors as marijuana cannabinoids like THC, so theoretically our naturally-occurring compounds could be supplemented by those found in the cannabis plant.
This google scholar article that I found brings a lot of light and slight differentiation of opinion on the topic of cannabis being used to treat depression.
I found a couple articles that I tweeted out on the best strains to use for depression and/or anxiety:
Final Thoughts
I believe that I will be able to find ample research on this topic however, I might have to narrow down my topic to one mood disorder or the other. Upon further reflection throughout the night I will decide to formalize my topic further if needed.
