A large Ontario study suggests that cannabis use may increase the risk of developing a new anxiety disorder or worsen existing anxiety.
The study says 27.5 per cent of people who visited an emergency room for cannabis use developed an anxiety disorder for the first time within three years.
Lead author Doctor Daniel Myran, an adjunct scientist at the research institute I-C-E-S, says that in comparison, 5.6 per cent of the general population sought help for anxiety in an E-R or outpatient setting.
Myran says cannabis users may end up in an E-R for multiple reasons, including hallucinations, being very high and disoriented, or for withdrawal symptoms.
(The Canadian Press)