What are the benefits of cannabis for you?

[Lank72]

I thought it would be good to see if we could get a thread going where people share their own specific benefits they get from using cannabis.

This would be especially helpful for me at the moment after having a call with a biased doctor this week who both "[didn't] know anything about cannabis as that's a different specialism of medication" but somehow at the same time knew that "cannabis is only a relaxant, it doesn't provide any other benefits"

We are the people who have the experience to share the benefits and help dispel such myths.

If no one else wants to share that's ok, I will feel better just getting some of this out there from my point of view...

 

[Lank72]

Today is a perfect example. Sunday morning, middle of a very grey and dark winter, the sun is a distant memory here and that has its own impact on mood and wellbeing.

I've had significantly broken sleep for a good few weeks now (PTSD nightmares), I've had IBS episodes so regularly for a couple of months that it is really a back-to-back series now. I have back-ache, a flare-up of varicose veins in both legs, a recurring problem in a gentlemans pipework that I won't go into but is causing pain and discomfort. I have the ongoing impacts of living AuDHD in a world that is barely set-up for neurotypicals. I have little appetite, nausea, and abdominal cramps.

I wake up in the mornings (this used more as a familiar phrase than an accurate account given the sleep issues) feeling like absolute dogshit, in pain, panicked by flashbacks, drained from broken sleep, overwhelmed that I still need to work and do all the grown-up chores and jobs and everything else that stacks into a life in this nutty world.

I could go on, but hopefully that sets the scene. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired, most of the time.

I've tried these pills and those pills and pills on top with an open mind, and hope that this time they will work for me. They don't, for whatever reason my insides are as sensitive to isolated chemical concotions as my outsides are to light and sound and touch.

What has always worked for me, is cannabis.

It numbs the pains, it lifts the mood, it calms the panic and anxiety, it helps me to communicate with others, it helps me understand how I'm feeling and what is happening to me. It helps me eat, It. Helps. Me. Sleep. This is not even by any means a complete list.

This morning I have gone from broken and panicked and otherwise unable to get out of bed, to preparing my child's lunches for the week, doing the washing, planning a trip to the local shop with them for sweets and treats, and doing some meaningful activities together.

The difference between not coping, and showing up - maybe even with a smile. Nothing fixed, but "feeling better about feeling shit"

It's not an exagerration for me to say that it is a lifeline, I'm so grateful for the relief it brings and I really don't know where I'd be without it.

 

[OldBloke]

Assuming effective cultivars have been found for my needs, I use MC for a range of issues, it helps with:

Pain: as a result of arthritis in many joints. Damaged L5 disc going back 50 years causing sciatic nerve inflamation and pain including referred pain. Broken bones, sprains etc pain from surfing and skateboarding in the 70s were self treated with cannabis, hence realisation that MC would do the trick.

Accident 25 years ago resulting in surgical leg pinning and plate causing poor circulation, scar tissue, severe pain etc. Offered opiates,I refused. Cocodamol stopped on my request.

I would not be able to function without the painkilling capabilities of cannabis.

Inflammation: in many part of body including vagus nerve, brain stem, muscles in limbs caused by MCAS as a result of Long Covid. Arthritic swelling in joints inc hands. Swollen legs caused by damaged leg vein valves. Many more areas too. No treatment available or offered on NHS.

My medical Cannabis reduces my inflammation, my legs have been the most improved problem, used to have "champagne bottle" efect legs from oedema. . that has in the past 2 years reduced a significantly. No other treatment has been used.

Mood: After over 20 years of leg pain, decades of back pain and 5 years of the untreated MCAS/CFS/PEM combo there have been times I have struggled to be positive, I know that the right MC cultivar can lift my mood if needed.

Insomnia: Sometimes the correct cultivar can help me sleep. Sleep is key, with no deep sleep cellular renewal and "taking the rubbish out" is slowed down or stopped.

 

[Lank72]

Thought of a few more just now

Clearing / soothing headaches & migraines

Giving energy

Getting sad instead of angry when overwhelmed / having a meltdown (this stuff has to come out somehow, but sad is better for me and those around me)

 

[BringBackBubblegum]

increases appetite
Gets rid of stomach pain
Is an anti-emetic stops me feeling sick
Makes me calm - stops panic attacks
Helps me concentrate - ADHD
Stops me dreaming and/or remembering my CPTSD nightmares.
Gives me a decent quality of life. Something that's rarely recognised or considered.
Without it I would be on numerous meds with horrible potential side effects that include sudden death.

 

[Lank72]

increases appetite
Gets rid of stomach pain
Is an anti-emetic stops me feeling sick
Makes me calm - stops panic attacks
Helps me concentrate - ADHD
Stops me dreaming and/or remembering my CPTSD nightmares.
Gives me a decent quality of life. Something that's rarely recognised or considered.
Without it I would be on numerous meds with horrible potential side effects that include sudden death.

Quality of life sums it all up well for me too

 

[S.O.H™]

"Takes the edge off life!" "And, helps me to feel real comfortable and be more relaxed..."

 

[Delta 9]

I could say alot of what it does but seizure free n that'll do me !

 

[MC Overgrow]

Helps me to manage the pain and distract from continuous headaches and migraines. i am starting to have longer periods of feeling almost pain free. It also helps me to cope with the fact I have a brain tumour and the ongoing wait and watch before surgery.. so definitely helps to take the edges of life

 

[Dooby Doo]

Cannabis helps in many ways as I have multiple issues. I found by accident that the oil cured the onset of Necrosis in my toes, i have a lot of nerve damage from ongoing issues, they were pretty bad but a lot better than they were, I can actually bend one of my big toes which ive not been able to do for some years.
The Flower helps with my pain and much more with other issues as does the rosin, the rosin has a positive effect on circulation too but its mild compared to the oral oil.

 

[Lank72]

Some wonderful positive stuff being shared here, lovely to read.

I missed a huge one, particularly in getting access to medical cannabis so I can treat myself accordingly for the full day instead of just after work

Reducing my alcohol intake from 'way too much' to 'hardly any at all' and therefore all the vast benefits that brings

 

[StationeryWilbury]

Okay I admit it, the benefits of cannabis are fantastic for me.
Hopefully in the future they may get even better by quite an impressive margin too!
Like after this bowl of kush but in a more general sense aswell.

 

[S.O.H™]

The benefits outweigh the negz tenfold IMO and it appears most of the all the other wonderful people here on the Medibud Wiki Forum Cohort. Its the best!

 

[StationeryWilbury]

The benefits outweigh the negz tenfold IMO and it appears most of the all the other wonderful people here on the Medibud Wiki Forum Cohort. Its the best!

HELL YEAH!

 

[Ant.G.]

have MS and all the shxt that comes with it. my backs fxxked too and im in remission at the moment from prostate cancer! believe me....... i dont put the lottery on. MC has being a life changer for me. it helps getting on a bit easier and sleep is a big factor in being well imo. bad sleep = bad day for me.

 

[GreenRed]

Most importantly, smoothing out the ups and downs of the dopamine rollercoaster of ADHD. Like it was said before, takes off the edge, and stress does not evolve into anxiety and collapse, it remains under control.

Migraines... I haven't seen an aura for years, even though "curl up for hours and just survive" migraine attacks were happening 2-3 times every month before MC.

And of course the benefit to sleep quality is immeasurably important as well.

 

[Lank72]

Helping me laugh, and all the benefits laughter brings, when the sum total of the rest of my life takes me in the opposite direction

New post automatically merged: 4th Feb, 2026

Another massive benefit I just realised seeing an article just now is that the medication itself is often enjoyable to consume, it smells nice, tastes nice, makes us feel good!

 

[GreenRed]

Why, don't you feel the same good thing when swallowing some bitter tasting chemical opiates pressed into a way-too-large-to-swallow shape, which then slowly destroys your guts, kidneys and liver? Doctors swear by it!

 

[Hazy-Haze]

Upsides:

- Lowers anxiety, makes me calmer and smooths over any hiccups. I no longer use Benzos for anxiety.
- IBS eradicated (more from oral means than vaping).
- Concentration is better overall.
- Yes I feel good a lot more and it does make my life flow a little easier.

Downsides (because there are some):

- Some mornings are kind of hard due to grogginess (for me mostly happens when using the slightly stronger strains).
- The possibility of a high body load session is for me a downside. I prefer clean and light sessions, with high functionality. Higher body load and potential panic inducing situations are not so pleasant for me, but I am experienced enough to weather them. Thankfully they are few and far between, but i'm not against admitting they do happen once in a while, especially given consumption is definitely more art than science and sometimes I think your body can just react badly to things, you know that 1 in 1000 time when the expected outcome doesn't occur and you are stuck in the twilight zone for a bit.
- It makes me pretty lazy and chilled out. At times I struggle to get things done.

FTR, I don't perceive the downsides as any less of a benefit, they are just part of the package. A lot will come down to interpretation.

New post automatically merged: 4th Feb, 2026

Most importantly, smoothing out the ups and downs of the dopamine rollercoaster of ADHD. Like it was said before, takes off the edge, and stress does not evolve into anxiety and collapse, it remains under control.

Migraines... I haven't seen an aura for years, even though "curl up for hours and just survive" migraine attacks were happening 2-3 times every month before MC.

And of course the benefit to sleep quality is immeasurably important as well.

It's weird I still get migraines at the minute and sleep for me is still all over the place. Like some nights I go to bed and wake up 5 hours later, others 13 hours later, it's just all over the place. Hoping the sleep thing improves once we get back to longer days.

A neuro doctor said to me that migraines are not linked to high blood pressure, but I can tell you if I'm lifting at the gym and I start to really push to the edge of what I am happy doing, migraines do happen. So if the correlation to High BP is not the cause what is? The stress, maybe cortisol levels. I'd love to know, I hate migraines, but mine are not painful, nor do they make me sick. I just get the aura and lose maybe 25-50% of my vision over about 30 mins and then it disappears.

 

[GreenRed]

Interesting you mention the morning grogginess, I am kind of the opposite.
The ADHD starts my morning over-adrenalised, 100 thoughts and worries spinning in the head, I am pretty twitchy, easy to annoy, and not pleasant to be around in general as I just feel miserable.
And somehow I am simply not able to start my day toking. I need almost an hour before I "can" take the first vape.
Then it takes me 2-3 well-spaced 0.09g capsules to turn into a more normal human being, I mean as good as it gets

And yeah, while I occasionally enjoy the body heavy strains, they're not my favourite and I am almost always aiming for the Limonene heavy uplifters, focusers.

New post automatically merged: 4th Feb, 2026

It's weird I still get migraines at the minute and sleep for me is still all over the place. Like some nights I go to bed and wake up 5 hours later, others 13 hours later, it's just all over the place. Hoping the sleep thing improves once we get back to longer days.

A neuro doctor said to me that migraines are not linked to high blood pressure, but I can tell you if I'm lifting at the gym and I start to really push to the edge of what I am happy doing, migraines do happen. So if the correlation to High BP is not the cause what is? The stress, maybe cortisol levels. I'd love to know, I hate migraines, but mine are not painful, nor do they make me sick. I just get the aura and lose maybe 25-50% of my vision over about 30 mins and then it disappears.

There are different types of migraine triggers I guess, my dad is a huge sufferer and gets some heavy meds for it. In our case, the trigger is always a sudden weather change, when the pressure goes haywire.

He never gets auras tho even tho he has a lot more attacks than I, while I get them most of the time.