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    Cannabis has 'double effect' on depression

    Posted on 24/10/2007

    Cannabis may have the ability to both ease and worsen depression, a Canadian study has revealed.

    The study published today in the Journal of Neuroscience tested the effect of a synthetic form of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in cannabis, on the levels of serotonin in rats. Researchers found that the THC had powerful but potentially opposite effects on the rats' behaviour, depending on the amount given.

    Depleted levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter, are strongly associated with depression, and are targeted by conventional anti-depressants such as Prozac.

    Lead researcher Dr. Gabriella Gobbi of McGill University in Montreal explained: 'Low doses had a potent anti-depressant effect, but when we increased the dose, the serotonin in the rats' brains actually dropped below the level of those in the control group. So we actually demonstrated a double effect: at low doses it increases serotonin, but at higher doses the effect is devastating, completely reversed.'

    Psychiatrists have long noted illegal 'medicinal' use of cannabis by patients with depression. The Canadian research raises the prospect of new pharmaceutical medication for depression, using a more easily controlled amount of THC than is offered by use of cannabis.

    In the UK, cannabis was downgraded from a Class B to a Class C drug in 2004. However, the prime minister launched a consultation earlier this year into possible reclassification of the drug, amid increased evidence of a link between its heavy use and schizophrenia.



    Category: Health


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