The need to better understand the interactions of legalized cannabis and mental health

“Cannabis is one of the most commonly used recreational substances globally and the second-most used in Canada (Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, 2007). Since its legalization in 2018, which permitted the sale (from government sanctioned locations), growth and recreational use for citizens of legal age (Cannabis Act, 2018), its recreational and therapeutic usage has increased (Statistics Canada, 2019). Pain, anxiety, and depression are the most common indications for the therapeutic use of cannabis (Sexton et al., 2016). However, the existing body of literature only supports cannabis’s efficacy in alleviating pain – not symptoms of anxiety and depression (Kosiba et al., 2019).”

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