How does cannabis impact stress?
We all know stress can cause tension, anxiety, and depression if you let it control your mind. Specifically in black communities, stress is a leading factor in a number of medical complications. Oftentimes, a negative experience can cause stress to increase and consume our bodies in destructive ways. There are a lot of people within the black community that suffer from stress-induced trauma, but are unaware of its true affect. The feeling of stress can impact our ability to think, act, speak, and make decisions. During this pandemic, the underprivileged communities are suffering. There are alarming rates of death due to COVID-19. How do some members of the black community relieve stress?
Cannabis is an emerging industry that shows positive ways to reduce stress, and it comes right from the earth. While testing and research continues to develop, cannabis has been proven to ease both mental and physical tension as well as provide clarity in a spiritual sense. As a black man, I always wonder how much stress people of color can handle. Our economy has been thrown a curveball as the top cannabis industries continue to thrive during this pandemic. There are a number of people who believe cannabis is just a negative coping mechanism for traumatic experiences. I will agree to disagree. Simply because, like anything else, cannabis is only one piece of the recovery puzzle. It only enhances the user when it is placed within a system based around positive energy, and should not be seen as a panacea or ‘cure-all’ plant. We must do better!
How do we move forward?
Moving forward, the use of cannabis in our society will emerge as a hot topic. The thoughts of it being recreational or medical has been a recurring theme as of the last 8 years. Cannabis should be a topic of discussion in all communities. The conversation about cannabis and stress is relevant in the black community because there are a lot of black people that use cannabis to relieve stress simply from not having insurance or the ability to afford proper psychological treatments. While society thinks cannabis is used to cope with negative experiences, there is a more harsh reality that lays dormant under the feet of Black America. We need to understand the positive impact that cannabis is having on our black community, study it, and allow it to become an efficient tool in the utility box of well-being. However, proper stress relief is just one of the many ways that cannabis can improve our community. While some have made the case to control the use of cannabis, the impact is clear. Stress decreases with the use of cannabis and is, for many, essential to the betterment of their lives.
Written by: Jerreme Wade
