One of the most common things you’ll hear when you ask people why they don’t consume cannabis is that it makes them anxious. It’s an experience most of us can relate to, one hit or one edible too many and you lose yourself down a rabbit hole of your own thoughts and start to panic. While it is a very real and common experience, typically that anxiety is a result of a variety of different factors, and emerging clinical evidence actually suggests that cannabis may offer relief for anxiety disorders such as social anxiety disorder and PTSD, even comparing favorably to traditional anxiety medications.

The cannabinoid receptors in our body directly modulate fear and stress responses in the amygdala. They also regulate neuroinflammation linked to anxiety (yes, long term stress and anxiety can actually cause inflammation in your brain), resulting in certain cannabinoids and terpenes having anxiety-relieving properties. The cannabinoids with those properties are CBD, CBG, and CBN. CBD and CBG boost serotonin and reduce reactivity to fearful stimuli while remaining non-psychoactive. CBN can reduce anxiety due to its mild sedative effects. When THC is added to the mix, you achieve the entourage effect. The terpenes with anxiety-reducing properties are linalool, a compound commonly found in lavender with calming effects, limonene, a compound with a citrus aroma and mood-elevating effect, and beta-caryophyllene, a compound with anti-inflammatory effects. Remember when we mentioned neuroinflammation? Beta-caryophyllene can help prevent that.

When searching for the best weed for anxiety, we recommend that you choose strains with high concentrations of linalool, limonene and beta-caryophyllene, or products containing CBD, CBG, and CBN such as: