Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
July 1, 2025
Richard G. Hunter, Annelise Madison, Jonathon K. Lisano et al.
In people with anxiety, baseline inflammatory status moderates how cannabis use affects negative affect and sleep quality. Over four weeks, participants with mild or greater anxiety who used cannabis chemovars higher in cannabidiol (CBD) showed more consistent improvements in mood and sleep, whereas improvements with delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-dominant chemovars varied depending on the individual's baseline inflammation. No group-dependent changes in cytokine concentrations were observed over the study period.
Journal of Cannabis Research
May 23, 2025
Margy Y. Chen, Ashley Brooks-Russell, Angela D. Bryan et al.
Dabbing, a method of vaporizing cannabis concentrates, produces higher blood THC concentrations and stronger subjective drug effects than smoking flower products via joints or bongs, though the intense intoxication fades more quickly. Vaping also shows a rapid decline in subjective effects. These findings come from a secondary analysis of two quasi-experimental studies with 252 participants who used their own legal-market cannabis products in a naturalistic setting. The results highlight that the mode of administration substantially influences THC exposure and the experience of intoxication, and future research should account for these differences.
Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
January 22, 2024
L. Bidwell, R. Martin-Willett, Carillon J. Skrzynski et al.
Among people with anxiety symptoms who used cannabis flower about three to four times per week over four weeks, those using CBD-dominant cannabis (24% CBD, <1% THC) reported lower anxiety on the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale compared to those using THC-dominant cannabis (24% THC, <1% CBD), even after accounting for frequency of use. Immediately after use, CBD-dominant cannabis was also linked to lower tension and paranoia ratings than either THC-dominant or balanced THC+CBD (12% each) cannabis. All cannabis groups showed acute improvements in positive mood and some drug effects, and all reported reduced anxiety over the study period. The findings suggest that CBD-dominant forms may offer acute tension reduction that could support longer-term anxiety relief, without THC increasing anxiety.