Sooner or later, we all must deal with grief – whether it’s the loss of a beloved family member or close friend, every individual loses someone at some point in their life. Sometimes, a loss can be so devastating that the grief seems impossible to cope with. Recently, however, many mourners have discovered that one of the many properties of cannabis is its ability to help certain users cope with grief, provided that it’s used responsibly.

Here’s how cannabis helps you cope with grief, what some users have gained from relying on it, and how to go about safely consuming cannabis if you’re interested.

Cannabis can help with anxiety

Dealing with grief is never easy, especially when it shackles you with anxiety about the near-future. After you’ve lost a loved one, for instance, it’s easy to believe that you yourself may be in danger, particularly if the lost individual in question died suddenly and without warning. Some users have found that cannabis and its ability to soothe anxiety is an ideal way to cope with grief in the aftermath of an accident or loss that rendered them particularly anxious.

When it comes to grappling with anxiety, not all cannabis is perfect for the job. For the most part, it’s CBD-infused products which are relied upon to combat anxiety, as CBD soothes users without delivering psychoactive effects which alter their state of mind and make them uncomfortably inebriated in their time of grief. That’s because of how CBD affects hormones, to produce a calming feeling. For those who are particularly anxious, reading up on how CBD impacts anxiety is a helpful way to introduce yourself to how cannabis could help you cope with ongoing grief.

Another common symptom of grief is nausea and an inability or unwillingness to eat anything. Cannabis again comes to the rescue because it’s regularly lauded for helping nauseas patients grapple with feelings of sickness or unease. Furthermore, the ability of cannabis products to make users feel hungry is so well-known that it’s become a popular cultural trope in the form of “the munchies.”  Evidence has demonstrated that the endocannabinoid system in humans can be manipulated to regulate nausea, as effectively as Botox, so consider enlisting the help of safe cannabis products if this is a facet of grief you’re struggling with.

Be aware of substance abuse

It’s crucially important to note that cannabis is a substance which can be abused like many others, and users must always exercise caution when depending on it heavily. Those who are grief-stricken should be particularly cautious when sizably altering their diets or medicinal regimens, and you should never hesitate to contact a doctor or similar medical professional for their advice as it pertains to cannabis. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has a helpful hotline which can be contacted if you have specific questions about substance abuse and dealing with grief.

Nevertheless, many users respond positively to cannabis in the midst of grief, and some have labeled marijuana a lifesaver when it comes to recovering from a persona loss. A deep dive by Vice into the use of weed to deal with grief is replete with personal anecdotes and examples which can be summoned to defend the use of cannabis to control sorrow and misery. Perhaps the chief reason that cannabis can help you cope with grief is that it supplants the role of alcohol for many people, which is important because it’s very easy to abuse alcohol, especially when you’re in a dark place in life. As time goes on, we can expect marijuana to supplant alcohol in many realms of life when it comes to recreation and recovery. Before long, cannabis could be helping people all over the world cope with their grief.