In our first two posts, we covered the therapeutic benefits of cannabis and the scientific evidence supporting its use for certain conditions. To keep this blog genuinely balanced and useful, though, we can’t stop there: the same scientific literature that documents the benefits also documents real risks worth knowing about — whether you’re considering therapeutic use or anything else.
The Dependence Problem
Contrary to a fairly common assumption, cannabis can be addictive. This isn’t a rare or marginal phenomenon: studies show that among people who quit after chronic use, a significant share experience withdrawal symptoms, including irritability, anxiety, sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal symptoms, and reduced appetite. Some groups appear particularly vulnerable to developing cannabis use disorder, including people with pre-existing mental health conditions.
It’s also worth highlighting a fact that’s not widely known: there is currently no clearly effective medication for treating cannabis use disorder. Treatment remains primarily psychotherapeutic and supportive, which makes prevention — avoiding dependence in the first place — especially important.
Mental Health: A Complex, Not Always Favorable Relationship
In our second post, we discussed still-preliminary evidence for a possible role of CBD in managing anxiety. More recent scientific literature, however, calls for caution. A large review published in 2026 in The Lancet Psychiatry — the most extensive analysis ever conducted on the topic, based on 54 randomized clinical trials carried out between 1980 and 2025 — found insufficient evidence to support the effectiveness of therapeutic cannabis for treating depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
This finding matters because it arrives at a time when therapeutic cannabis use for these conditions is increasingly common: the results suggest that expectations around its psychological benefits may be overestimated relative to the available scientific evidence. What’s more, over the long term, cannabis use can actually worsen — not just fail to improve — anxiety and depression symptoms, increasing the risk of developing psychiatric disorders in vulnerable individuals.
The most studied and best-documented risk concerns psychosis: high-THC cannabis use is associated in the literature with an increased risk of psychosis, particularly among predisposed individuals and those who start using during adolescence. An international study published in June 2026 in The Lancet Psychiatry, led by the University of Bath, also found that higher potency in cannabis products is associated with a greater risk of both dependence and mental health disorders, including cannabis-related psychosis — a finding echoed by some psychiatric clinics in countries with open commercial sales, which report an increase in related cases.
Cognitive Effects, Especially in Younger Users
Chronic cannabis use can impair memory, attention, and learning ability, even well after the last use. Some studies suggest these effects may be reversible upon quitting, but they may persist longer in long-term regular users. The risk is particularly significant for those who start using cannabis during adolescence: the brain is still developing, and several studies have found a higher risk of cognitive and psychiatric problems in adulthood among those who used heavily during their developmental years.
A Complicating Data Point: Use, Dependence, and Legalization Policy
A large international study published in June 2026 in The Lancet Psychiatry, which analyzed the evolution of cannabis policies worldwide between 2000 and 2025, offers an instructive example of how scientific data often gets oversimplified in public debate. The very same study was reported by media outlets under opposite headlines — “legal cannabis increases use and addiction” on one hand, “legalization doesn’t increase use” on the other — when in reality the truth lies in the distinction between the different regulatory models adopted by various countries, not in a single, one-size-fits-all conclusion. It’s a useful reminder: any overly simple takeaway on this topic, in either direction, deserves a healthy dose of skepticism.
Immediate Side Effects and Safety
Even setting aside prolonged use, cannabis can cause significant immediate effects: impaired judgment, reflexes, and coordination (relevant, for instance, to driving), along with drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, dry mouth, and, in some cases, acute euphoria or anxiety reactions. Users may also not easily recognize an emerging problem — or may recognize it but still find it difficult to stop, even while aware of the risks.
In Summary
Honest information about cannabis can’t stop at its potential benefits. The most recent and rigorous research points to real, well-documented risks: dependence, possible long-term worsening of anxiety and depression, an increased risk of psychosis (especially with high-potency products), and cognitive effects, particularly when use begins in adolescence. These risks don’t cancel out the positive evidence discussed in our earlier posts for specific clinical conditions, but they deserve to be weighed just as seriously: cannabis, like any substance active on the nervous system, is neither “just” a harmless natural remedy nor “just” a dangerous drug — it’s a complex subject that deserves case-by-case evaluation, always with the support of a healthcare professional.
Note: the content on this blog is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not replace the advice of a qualified doctor or legal professional. If you think you may have a dependence issue, talking to a doctor or mental health professional is a useful first step.
WEEDELICIOUS 
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