I think a lot of it depends on the individual and I've been told several times that the variety and strain can make a big difference.
Anecdotally, it used to make me relaxed and only occasionally a little anxious if I had to unexpectedly play "straight" while under the influence.
Nowadays it's like a 50/50 shot whether it will just give me a "buzz" or whether it will make me incredibly anxious. I've mostly chalked it up to the stronger stuff I'm more likely to come across now that I'm not a broke college kid buying the cheap stuff but I also think a large part of it is that I'm a different person that I was 15-20 years ago and perhaps I just don't react as well to it anymore.
Either way, I mostly abstain these days except when I'm in a situation where the potential for anxiety is incredibly low.
I tried the cbd type of weed that's suppose to be good for
anxiety and found no benefit. I'll note the dispensary
did not have any means for testing for chemical components, other than a pen that detects counterfit currency. I found
for my constitution less is definetly more. I found it slightly helped with depression--sometimes--at a very low
dose(like 1/2 a small puff). I sometimes think most of the
benefits claimed are Placebo? That said--it's easy to get
a prescription for. In the Bay Area, getting a doctor to write a script(good for one year) cost $100.00. When I got
my script, the doctor was seeing a patient every 3-5 minutes, and only took cash. What a business?
Honestly depends on the strain. There are three types of Cannabis (Sativa, Indica, and Ruderalis) which all have different psychoactive effects.
If you smoke a Sativa-dominant strain, you will be lost in your own head for a good while, and will experience paranoia/anxiety as a common side-effect.
Cannabis Indica, however (White Widow, Hash Plant, etc) is a full-on couch-lock body high. I have high anxiety, and after smoking a bowl of indica, I'm about as mellow as can be.
YMMV. When I used to have serious anxiety, it would sometimes make me have a full on panic attack. I don't know if it was indica or sativa.
But I know people who have sworn by it as a treatment.
Now that legalization is becoming a reality, maybe we'll get better science on this issue and find out the what, when, how and whom of its effects on anxiety.
I'd put money on your anxiety coming from a sativa. I've had Sativa panic attacks before (even on a 50/50 hybrid) from half a joint, whereas I could smoke massive bowls full of indica and not have a problem.
