More and more Canadians are turning to cannabis to deal with pandemic pressure

Fans note that they can move away from the careers they have built up over the years, learn how to exchange stocks and earn money, and help children, including children aged two, navigate online schools. I turned it. But despite these fundamental lifestyle changes aimed at relieving daily pressure, fans say her attacks didn’t diminish until she tried something entirely new.

“My friend told me about CBD,” she mentioned cannabidiol, a compound found in cannabis plants. “And I will say within the first week [of trying it], My nerves began to calm down and I was able to think and plan how to do this and how to manage it. “

She was initially worried about cannabis-related stigma, especially as a mother of three, but after conducting her own research, she says she is happy with her choice. Fans add that cannabis made a big difference in her stress levels and mood, more than anything else she tried, such as exercise and meditation.

“It helped a lot to relieve my anxiety,” she said.

There is more than one fan among Canadians who are somehow looking at cannabis during a pandemic.According to recently Statistics Canada Survey A study of changes in alcohol, drug and drug consumption habits revealed that 20% of Canadians reported cannabis use, up from 14% before COVID-19.

The StatsCan report also found that the main reasons Canadians cited for using cannabis included increased stress, boredom, and loneliness.

Yad Singh is the owner of Dolly’s Cannabis, a pharmacy in the Annex district of Toronto. He has a degree in nuclear medicine and became interested in the therapeutic use of cannabis, looking for ways to alleviate some of the symptoms his family suffered when fighting terminal cancer.

Recently, he says, his clinic has helped relieve some of the stress people are experiencing as a result of repeated pandemic blockades.

“As you know, the vast majority of everyone who comes here is undoubtedly affected by COVID, and how it affects their mood,” Shin said.

“So, whether or not they made a good face on it, it’s still affecting them and it’s still hard to deal with.”

Recently, the number of people who have never tried cannabis for the first time has increased significantly, Shin said.

“In the last two months, we’ve noticed more and more new users coming to our store. From our point of view, I think these types of customers will probably surge by 5-10%,” Singh said. Says.

He told him that people were trying to cope with the growing fear and anxiety surrounding the pandemic, adding that they often come to the clinic after trying other means of adjusting mood. Others say they are trying not to rely on other substances such as alcohol.

“When I hear from people who have casual conversations, they say,’I can’t drink beer all the time, so I need something to survive this time of year,'” Shin said.

Researchers at the Toronto Center for Poisoning and Mental Health (CAMH) are monitoring increased cannabis consumption.

“The pandemic has certainly created a perfect storm in terms of use,” said Dr. Leslie Buckley, chief addiction psychiatrist at CAMH.

CAMH researchers are looking at the potential health risks associated with frequent dependence on cannabis. Possible long-term effects include increased anxiety, depression, and even mental illness, especially among those with a family history of mental health problems.

CAMH encourages young people and pregnant women to avoid using cannabis altogether and warns them to drive for at least 6 hours after consuming cannabis. It also warns all users to moderate.

“One way to reduce risk is to reduce THC content and reduce the amount of cannabis consumed,” said Dr. Buckley.

Despite these warnings, Shin says he is looking at people along the spectrum of anxiety and depression he is trying to cannabis.

One of his clinic’s new customers, Daniel Geddes de Andrade, came to Dolly’s to relieve intense anxiety after several visits to the emergency room with a racing heartbeat that shook him. I am a student.

“When it was really terrible, I had a very fast heart rate, and it felt like chest pressure and shortness of breath,” said Guedes de Andrade. “This pandemic definitely raised my level of anxiety.”

Guedes de Andrade is currently being monitored by doctors to rule out heart problems, but he says his anxiety was so intense that it could be debilitating. He added that he couldn’t concentrate on his work or settle down enough to enjoy anything, but that has changed since he started smoking CBD, he says.

“It also helped me a lot in managing anxiety and enabling relaxation,” he said. “It worked in just a few seconds and was very helpful. It’s like I can be functional and excited to do my job.”

Fans say she plans to continue using CBD oil. She initially used oil once a day, but added that she needed less oil to deal with than when she first started using it.

“I’ve arrived at a place where I can manage everything on my plate, so now it’s probably like a drop a week,” said the fan.

Dr. Buckley said CAMH will continue to investigate people’s usage levels to see if cannabis consumption decreases or stays at the same level after the pandemic.

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