Among regular cannabis users in Colorado, those who had also used psilocybin in the past three months reported higher cannabis dependence scores and more strongly endorsed using cannabis for enjoyment, boredom, and altered experience than those who had not used psilocybin recently. The correlation between cannabis dependence and the motive of altered experience was stronger for co-users. The findings suggest motivational differences and potentially greater risk of harm for people who co-use cannabis and psilocybin.
In a randomized trial, people using cannabis with cannabidiol (CBD) experienced greater decreases in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress over four weeks compared to those using cannabis with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This benefit was most pronounced among participants who reported average or high levels of perceived discrimination. No significant changes in drinking behaviors were observed. The findings suggest that CBD may help reduce negative emotional symptoms in the short term without increasing risk for alcohol misuse, and that perceived discrimination plays an important role in this relationship.
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.
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.