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13 doctor focus cannapatientcare.com november/december 2022 | cannabis patient care be helpful as an adjunct to therapy. People often use cannabis to replace benzodiazepines and other anxiety drugs, and in- creasing evidence suggests hemp-based CBD or CBG products can be effectively used for anxiety at low or moderate doses. Usually, cannabis will relieve anxiety and trauma-related symptoms, but sometimes it can bring traumatic feelings or memories to the surface for the purpose of healing. I've pro- vided a framework for understanding this phenomenon and suggestions for how to get great results using cannabis for both symptom relief and healing. It's no surprise that anxiety is one of the most common symptoms for which people use cannabis. It's usually safer, more effective, and more deeply healing than the alternatives, especially when it's used optimally. References (1) J.D. Kosiba, S.A. Maisto, and J.W. Ditre, Social Science & Medicine 233, 181–192 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.06.005. (2) American Psychiatric Association, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) (2013). (3) L. Orsolini, S. Chiappini, U. Volpe, D. De Berardis, R. Latini, G.D. Papanti, and J.M. Corkery, Medicina 55(9), 525 (2019). (4) M.N. Hill, L.M. Bierer, I. Makotkine, J.A. Golier, S. Galea, B.S. McEwen, and R. Yehuda, Psychoneuroendocrinology 38(12), 2952-2961 (2013). (5) A. Berardi, G. Schelling, and P. Campolongo, Pharmacological Research 111, 668–678 (2016). (6) C. Purcell, A. Davis, N. Moolman, and S.M. Taylor, Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 4(3), 214-218 (2019). (7) B.J. Piper, R.M. DeKeuster, M.L. Beals, C.M. Cobb, C.A. Burchman, L. Perkinson, and A.T. Abess, Journal of Psychopharmacology 31(5), 569-575 (2017). (8) J. Allen, M.D. Holder, and Z. Walsh, in The Handbook of Cannabis and Related Pathologies, V.R. Preedy, Ed. (Elsevier, 2017) pp. 308–316. (9) I.M. Linares, A.W. Zuardi, L.C. Pereira, R.H. Queiroz, R. Mechoulam, F.S. Guimaraes, and J.A. Crippa, Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry 41(1), 9-14 (2019). (10) A.W. Zuardi, N.P. Rodrigues, A.L. Silva, S.A. Bernardo, J.E. Hallak, F.S. Guimarães, and J.A. Crippa, Frontiers in Pharmacology 8, 259 (2017). (11) M.Z. Hammoud, C. Peters, J.R.B. Hatfield, S.M. Gorka, K.L. Phan, M.R. Milad, and C.A. Rabinak, Neuropsychopharmacology 44, 1769–1777 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-019-0416-6 (12) R.K. Das, S.K. Kamboj, M. Ramadas, K. Yogan, V. Gupta, E. Redman, and C.J. Morgan, Psychopharmacology 226(4), 781-792 (2013). (13) L.M. Ruglass, A. Shevorykin, V. Radoncic, K.M. Smith, P.H. Smith, I.R. Galatzer-Levy, and D.A. Hien, Journal of Clinical Medicine 6(2), 14 (2017). (14) R. Jetly, A. Heber, G. Fraser, and D. Boisvert, Psychoneuroendocrinology 51, 585-588 (2015). (15) L.F. Fabre and D. McLendon, The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 21(S1), 377S–382S (1981). (16) M. Lee, European Journal of Pain 13, S200, Article 695 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1016/S1090-3801(09)60698-4 (17) C. Cameron, D. Watson, and J. Robinson, Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology 34(5), 559 (2014). (18) P. Roitman, R. Mechoulam, R. Cooper-Kazaz, and A. Shalev, Clinical Drug Investigation 34(8), 587-591 (2014). (19) M.M. Bergamaschi, R.H.C. Queiroz, M.H.N. Chagas, D.C.G. De Oliveira, B.S. De Martinis, F. Kapczinski, and R. Martín-Santos, Neuropsychopharmacology 36(6), 1219-1226 (2011). (20) Z. Walsh, R. Gonzalez, K. Crosby, M.S. Thiessen, C. Carroll, and M.O. Bonn-Miller, Clinical Psychology Review 51, 15-29 (2017). (21) G.R. Greer, C.S. Grob, and A.L. Halberstadt, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 46(1), 73–77 (2014). (22) M.O. Bonn-Miller, et al., PloS One 16.3 (2021): e0246990. (23) S. Shannon, N. Lewis, H. Lee, and S. Hughes, The Permanente Journal 23, 18–041 (2019). (24) L. Elms, S. Shannon, S. Hughes, and N.Lewis, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 25(4), 392-397 (2019). (25) J.L. Saleska, et al. Integrative Medicine Reports 1.1, 215-226 (2022). (26) E.M. Rock, et al. Psychopharmacology 234.14, 2207-2217 (2017). (27) https://www.psychedelicsomatic.org/ about the author DUSTIN SULAK, DO, one of the first physicians in Maine to incorporate the legal use of cannabis as a medicine in 2009, is the founder of Integr8 Health, a medical practice that follows more than 8000 patients using medical cannabis. Today he is globally recognized by his peers as a pioneer of clinical applications, formulations, and usage protocols. He is the author of the first foundational text on the clinical use of cannabis and cannabinoid therapies, titled Handbook of Cannabis for Clinicians: Principles and Practice. Dr. Sulak is co-founder of Healer, a medical cannabis brand founded to address the challenges of helping patients and health providers get the best results with safe, reliably dosable products and education on how to best use them. Healer's distinctive product formulations and educational material are based on his work. Healer medical cannabis products are currently available in Maine and Maryland. Healer Whole Plant Hemp CBD products are available nationwide. For more information about Healer medical cannabis products, visit www.Healercannabis.com or visit 119 Orion St. in Brunswick, ME. For education on how to use cannabis as medicine or information about Healer Whole Plant Hemp CBD products, visit www.Healer.com.