More Canadians are turning to cannabis to help cope with pandemic pressure

More Canadians are turning to cannabis to help cope with pandemic pressure

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During the pandemic last year, Kacie Fann had three children and worked full-time as a real estate agent. Like many others, her life was turned upside down, and she was at a loss as to how to deal with it.

Fann said: “I don’t know what to do.” “I started to suffer from severe anxiety because I was at a loss for the news and everything else.”

Fann left her career for many years, teaching herself how to trade stocks to earn some income, and turned her attention to helping her children (including a two-year-old) go to online school. However, although these radical lifestyle changes were intended to help reduce daily stress, Fann said that her attacks were not relieved until she tried some brand new attempts.

She said: “A friend of mine told me about CBD.” Cannabinoids are compounds found in the cannabis plant. “I would say in the first week [of trying it], My nerves began to calm down, I was able to think and propose a plan, the plan is how I will do, how to do it. “

At first, she was indeed worried about the stigma associated with marijuana, especially when it was a three-year-old mother, but after conducting her own research, she said she was satisfied with the choice. Fann added that marijuana had a greater impact on her stress level and mood than any other method she had tried (including exercise and meditation).

She said: “It has greatly eased my anxiety.”

Fann is far from alone among Canadians who have turned to marijuana in some form during the pandemic.According to recent Statistics Canada Survey The study looks at changes in alcohol, drugs, and drug consumption habits. Currently, 20% of Canadians report the use of marijuana, compared with 14% before COVID-19.

Kacie Fann (Kacie Fann) said that during the pandemic, she began to suffer from severe anxiety disorders because she was “at a loss for news and everything else”. (Perlita Stroh / CBC)

The StatsCan report also found that the main reasons Canadians use marijuana include increased stress, boredom and loneliness.

Yad Singh is the owner of Dolly’s Cannabis, which is a pharmacy in Toronto’s annex district. He has a degree in nuclear medicine and is interested in the therapeutic uses of marijuana, while looking for ways to alleviate certain symptoms suffered by family members when fighting terminal cancer.

He said that these days, his pharmacy is helping people alleviate some of the pressure suffered by repeated pandemic lockdowns.

Singh said: “You know, the vast majority of everyone who comes here must have been affected by COVID and how it affects their emotions.”

“So whether they praise it or not, it still affects them and it is still difficult to deal with.”

Yad Singh is the owner of Dolly’s Cannabis, which is a pharmacy in Toronto’s annex district. He said that new customers often tell him that they are trying to deal with the fear and anxiety surrounding this pandemic. (Perlita Stroh / CBC)

Singh said he recently noticed a significant increase in the number of first-time visitors who have never tried marijuana before.

Singh said: “In the past two months, I have noticed more and more new users flooding into our stores. From our point of view, I would like to say that the number of such customers may increase by 5% to 10%.”

He added that people told him that they were struggling to cope with the increasing fear and anxiety brought about by the epidemic, and they often went to the pharmacy after trying other ways to regulate their emotions. Some people also said that they are trying to avoid switching to other substances, such as alcohol.

Singh said: “I hear people’s voices in small talk, and they will tell me,’You know, you can’t drink beer all the time. I need some time to spend this time.”

The cannabidiol used to produce CBD oil is a compound found in the hemp plant. (Mike Segal/Reuters)

Researchers at the Toronto Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have been monitoring the rise in cannabis consumption.

CAMH chief addiction psychiatrist Dr. Leslie Buckley (Leslie Buckley) said: “This epidemic does create a perfect storm in terms of use.”

CAMH researchers pointed out that frequent dependence on cannabis brings potential health risks. Possible long-term effects include increased anxiety, depression and even psychosis, especially in patients with a family history of mental health.

CAMH urges young people and pregnant women to avoid marijuana altogether, and warns people to wait at least six hours before driving after consuming marijuana. It also warns all users to be restrained.

Dr. Buckley said: “One way to reduce risk is to reduce the THC content and reduce the consumption of cannabis.”

Despite these warnings, Singh said he still sees people who are anxious and depressed are trying marijuana.

One of the new clients of his pharmacy, Daniel Guedes de Andrade (Daniel Guedes de Andrade), an educated student, came to the emergency room several times after he was shocked and came to the emergency room. Go to Dolly’s hospital to relieve intense anxiety.

Guedes de Andrade said: “When the situation is really bad, my heart rhythm is very fast, it feels like chest pressure and shortness of breath.” “This pandemic definitely increased my anxiety.”

Daniel Guedes de Andrade said that CBD helped him relax and focus. (Perlita Stroh / CBC)

Currently, Guedes de Andrade is being examined by a doctor to rule out any heart problems, but he said that sometimes the anxiety is so strong that it is debilitating. He added that he could not focus on work, nor could he calm himself down and enjoy many things, but since he became obsessed with CBD, he said this has changed.

He said: “It has also given me great help in controlling anxiety and relaxation.” “It only takes a few seconds to work, and it is very useful. It’s like I can perform my own function, and to complete my Excited about his work.”

Fann said she plans to continue using CBD oil. She initially used the oil once a day, but added that she now needs less oil than when she first started using it.

Fann said: “Now I can only drop one drop almost every week, because I have reached a place where I can manage everything on the dinner plate.”

Dr. Buckley said that CAMH plans to continue to study people’s levels of use to see whether cannabis consumption declines or remains at the same level after the pandemic.


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