I smoked pot from 1978 until 1993 and I know that it enhanced by appetite and I looked forward to the munchies after I smoked a joint. I used recreationally two or three times a week for 15 years. But I was also self-medicating for my depression, anxiety and PTSD symptoms. During this time I also self medicated with nicotine and alcohol.

In 1993 I began working for an employer that frequently drug-tested its employees. I had to make the decision to quit smoking pot or I risked losing my job—and I had a husband and three children who depended on me for financial security. Once I gave up smoking pot I needed a different way to deal with my symptoms of anxiety, depression and PTSD.

There are several natural ways to manage your symptoms of depression and anxiety and these include lifestyle change, exercise, diet and counseling. If none of these things work for you then you can consider anti-depressants. Serotonin is produced by antidepressants which is often lacking in the brain in people with depression. THC affects anandamide which is also present in the brain and the interaction between the two can actually increase the depression and lead to other mental illness, including schizophrenia. There are other products like St John’s Wort which is an herbal supplement which seems to mirror Serotonin’s effects. The bottom line is that marijuana use can have a negative effect on your mental health.

Depression and anxiety are prevalent in the Native community maybe because of the disproportionate amount of trauma that we experience but we need to find ways to cope with it and heal from it instead of indulging in yet another addiction and calling it is a medical necessity or recreational use.