The Cannabis Connection for Treating Depression

As I've written elsewhere, marijuana has long been thought to have anti-depressant properties. Lester Grinspoon, an emeritus psych prof at Harvard, has been saying this since the 1950s. Many in the psych profession have written him off as a quack, as a result. (I've interviewed the man. He seems as rational to me as any other psych doc who, for example, trumpets the effectiveness of Seroquel.) Such is the prejudice towards pot in the medical community. Of course, many patients and docs have discovered through their own, ahem, research that pot can kick depression's ass. In states with medical marijuana laws, depression should be an approved use.

Now, here's further evidence that there is something going on with cannabanoids and the brain. The drug involved is known as URB597, a chemical cousin of cannabis without the THC. This study lends credence to earlier research that the compound could be useful in addressing depression and anxiety. I'm sure this won't cause anyone at NIMH to rush out and fudn studies on pot and depression. The White House, the drug czar and the DEA just can't hang with such free thinking. But they should, because if you are interested in having treatments that actually work, then you'll look anywhere. After all, it's not like the SSRIs and their chemical kin are doing such a thorough job of treating depression in American society.