From U.S. News & World Report: While some medical marijuana advocates claim that certain strands of weed may help with depression, research on the effects of marijuana on people with depression remains inconclusive. Most experts do not recommend marijuana use for those suffering from depression.
“The country’s leading medical organizations are similarly conflicted. ‘There is still a lot to learn about whether marijuana use may lead to mental health problems or if having a mental illness makes people more likely to use marijuana,’ the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. ‘Marijuana use has also been linked with depression and anxiety, and with suicidal thoughts among teens. However, it is not known whether this is a causal relationship or simply an association.'”
The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that several studies have linked marijuana use to increased risk for psychiatric disorders, including depression, ‘but whether and to what extent it actually causes these conditions is not always easy to determine.’ NIDA looked at long-term data that examined associations between marijuana use, mood and anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders, and concluded that: ‘After adjusting for various confounding factors, no association between marijuana use and mood and anxiety disorders was found.'”
