Pubdate: Thu, 11 Feb 2016
Source: Westword (Denver, CO)
Column: Ask a Stoner
Copyright: 2016 Village Voice Media
Contact: http://www.westword.com/feedback/EmailAnEmployee?department=letters
Website: http://www.westword.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1616
Author: Herbert Fuego

DEAR STONER: DOES MARIJUANA HELP WITH DEPRESSION?

Dear Stoner: Does marijuana help with depression?

Searching

Dear Searching: Unfortunately, the answer is not a simple yes or no. 
There's such a wide range of studies on the subject that trying to 
wrap your head around it can make your hair fall out - or leave you 
more depressed. A survey of 4,400 adults that was funded by the 
Marijuana Policy Project indicated that regular and occasional 
marijuana users had more positive moods and fewer somatic complaints 
than non-users, but it also found medical users to be more depressed 
than recreational users. Other published studies have shown marijuana 
smokers to be diagnosed with depression more often and to be more at 
risk for schizophrenia or psychosis than non-smokers, but doctors 
don't agree on whether marijuana is the cause of a patient's 
depression or just that patient's preferred method of self-medication.

A recent study done by the University at Buffalo's Research Institute 
on Addictions found that chronic stress in rats decreased their 
endocannabinoids, which activate the same receptors in the brain as 
THC. When the rats were given marijuana cannabinoids, their chronic 
stress was reduced. "Using compounds derived from cannabis to restore 
normal endocannabinoid function could potentially help stabilize 
moods and ease depression," the study's lead researcher, Dr. Samir 
Haj-Dahmane, reported.

Dear Stoner: I'm aware of what terpenes are and that you love them. 
But what are some specific terpenes, other than just "piney" or 
"citrus," and what do they do differently? Clark

Dear Clark: You're right, I absolutely love terpenes. Their aromatic 
oils in cannabis and hops make our weed skunky and our beer 
wonderfully bitter. On top of providing smells and flavor profiles, 
scientists are finding terpenes in cannabis to have medicinal effects.

I don't have room to list all of my favorite terpenes, but here are a 
few. Pinene is what gives certain strains wood and piney flavors, and 
is also found in pine needles, conifer trees and sage. Limonene 
smells and tastes like zesty citrus fruits such as lemons, oranges 
and grapefruits, and is present in juniper berries and fruit rinds. 
Humulene smells musty and earthy, like fresh soil - or a fresh bowl 
of OG Kush - and is a compound of hops, sunflowers and tobacco. Most 
studies on the compounds of cannabis flowers have focused on the 
plant's cannabinoids, but as scientists learn more about terpenes, 
we'll be better able to pinpoint our favorite strains.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom