Discover the 5 Best Cannabis Strains for Depression
Many people who experience depression symptoms have found relief with certain cannabis strains—often sativa strains which tend to be more uplifting and energizing, but there are some indicas that could help as well.
If you've been feeling down for a while or have been diagnosed with clinical depression, a healthcare professional will usually check for thyroid issues and might recommend therapy and medications.
Over time, if you find that other therapies haven't helped or if you prefer to avoid (or lower your dose of) conventional medications, anecdotal evidence suggests that these cannabis strains might be able to offer relief.
1. Blue Dream
Blue Dream is a crowd favorite for mood disorders and is popular in the medical marijuana community for its reported effectiveness in offering pain relief. A slightly sativa-dominant hybrid strain with 17-24% THC, 2% CBD, and 1% CBN, Blue Dream's effects are very well balanced—so much so that consumers choose this strain when they're looking for uplifting feelings during the day as they do when they want relief and relaxation at night.
If consuming this cannabis strain as a pre-roll, cannabis concentrate, or vape product, expect delightful notes of sweet blueberry pie preceding waves of creative energy. On the comedown, a relaxing body high helps you calm down and drift off to sleep.
2. Cherry Punch
Like Blue Dream, Cherry Punch is very well balanced—in this case, with a 50-50 split of indica and sativa genetics. After the initial hit, consumers experience hard-hitting euphoric effects that leave them feeling blissful and unfocused, along with a light body high and a strong case of the munchies.
The taste of Cherry Punch makes it an ideal dessert strain: sweet berries, cherries, and fruit with a hint of skunk. This strain has high THC levels averaging between 23-24%, so go lightly on this one if you haven't tried it before or if it's your first time smoking weed.
3. Jack Herer
Jack Herer is a sativa-dominant strain that's extremely popular among cannabis enthusiasts with mental health issues and headaches. This piney-scented cultivar is 80% sativa and 20% indica with moderate THC levels sitting around 15-24%. Its genetics and effects make it ideal as a daytime strain.
After the first hit, consumers report euphoric and uplifting effects that leave them feeling motivated and clear-headed. Some consumers feel like talking about anything and everything after taking a puff, which can be a help if severe depression symptoms have reduced your desire to interact.
4. Super Lemon Haze
If you'd like to get into a more positive mood, try Super Lemon Haze—a strain that was developed in our native Washington state and is sold in dispensaries throughout Seattle and nationwide. This award-winning sativa-dominant hybrid is a cross between Lemon Skunk and Super Silver Haze and has an 80:20 sativa/indica ratio. Its effects are cerebral and euphoric with a creative, energetic boost.
The flavor of Super Lemon Haze is a bit like lemonade: sweet, citrusy, and zesty, and it's well known that the pleasant smell of this strain's primary terpene—limonene—is associated with a boost in mood. If your depression symptoms are linked with chronic pain, you could find that this strain provides both relief from physical symptoms and a welcome lift in mood.
5. Northern Lights
We've saved this medical cannabis strain until last because it's a pure indica—meaning that it's best enjoyed in the evening rather than during the day. Created by inbreeding Afghani landrace strains, Northern Lights is said to have classic indica effects: strong physical relaxation, euphoria, pain relief, and sleep.
If you try this strain a couple of hours before bed, you'll notice a sweet earthy flavor with hints of citrus that soon send you reaching for a snack. With THC levels ranging from 16-21%, Northern Lights is fairly potent, so go low and slow until you find the dose that works for you.
What the Science Says about Cannabis and Depression
Cannabis and depression have a somewhat complex relationship and it has been difficult for the medical community to draw any solid conclusions. Researchers note that cannabis consumers are more frequently diagnosed with depression than non-consumers, but it's not clear whether cannabis consumption or depression came first.
Researchers do know that certain cannabinoids help to keep "feel-good" hormones like serotonin circulating in the brain for longer, which could help to explain some of marijuana's mood-boosting effects. This effect also means that cannabis consumption can affect the way that certain medications for depression are processed, which is why you should always check with your doctor before combining cannabis with other meds.
One observational trial conducted in 2021 set out to explore the effects of medical marijuana on anxiety and depression symptoms by following a group of cannabis consumers with these symptoms and a control group with depression and anxiety that didn't consume cannabis.
What the researchers found was that the cannabis consumers reported better sleep, a higher quality of life, and less pain on average than the control group. In the follow-up period, the cannabis consumers had "significantly decreased anxiety and depressive symptoms, an effect that was not observed in controls that never initiated cannabis use."
The Right Cannabis Strain Is Highly Individual
Here, we've shared five marijuana strains that are often consumed for relief from depression-like mental health symptoms. Ultimately, it can take a little trial and error to find the strain and dose that work best for you and see how your body responds to cannabis.
The good news is that once you find the right cannabis strain for relief, you could potentially find a more positive outlook on life—motivating you to get back out there and start feeling like yourself again.
And whether you try cannabis as a standalone remedy or as part of a combined approach with therapy and medications, the experience of hundreds of cannabis consumers suggests that this wonderful herb truly can improve your quality of life.