‘It’s the first thing I do when I wake up.’ Canadians turning to cannabis to cope through COVID-19 pandemic

But Persaud decided to cut down the drinking and consume more cannabis for relief after noticing a decline in physical and mental health.

“With alcohol there’s always this extreme emotion, it’s either you’re celebrating something or drowning in your sorrows,” said the Toronto resident.

“I find with cannabis, I’m able to use it in a way that’s mindful, I can be alone and meditative.”

Persaud isn’t the only one using cannabis more as the pandemic continues to rage.

Almost 30 per cent of Canadians say their cannabis usage has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to a September poll for Mental Health Research Canada.

The poll also found that anxiety levels have quadrupled and depression has doubled amongst Canadians since the pandemic began.

Dr. Susy Hota, an infection and prevention control specialist at University Health Network, said it’s worth investigating whether there’s a connection between the two findings.

Hota pointed to the increase in cannabis usage as possibly having a ripple effect on other health issues.

“With the pandemic, people are just avoiding care right now and mental illness is going untreated and unidentified,” Hota said. “I could see phases folding in front of us having to deal with disregarded and undermanaged health problems and this could be one of them.”

Adham Rabah is another Torontonian who said he’s using cannabis as a way to cope during the pandemic.

Rabah is a daily user and said he finds himself smoking more and using cannabis at different times of the day compared to pre-pandemic times.

“It used to be an evening thing for me but now it’s the first thing I do when I wake up,” he said.

Rabah, who is self-employed, said he’s dealing with financial struggles from having little to no work, more social anxiety and loneliness from not being able to interact with people the way he used to.

“It (cannabis) is like my source of entertainment now, being cooped up in your house all the time is a stressor for me, most of my social aspects came through going out and partying,” Rabah said. “Sometimes, it feels like I’ve forgotten how to talk with people.”

As of April, Canadians who reported consuming more cannabis often mentioned a lack of regular schedule, boredom and stress, according to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction.

Rabah also noted the downside of using cannabis during a time when one has nothing to do and nowhere they’re expected to be.

“There’s times where I can’t think of anything to do and since I’m smoking all day, weed makes it really easy to just want to go to bed,” Rabah said. “I guess it kind of coincides with a little bit of depression because sometimes I’ll just want to pass out all day.”

Jordan Friesen, a mental health specialist and consultant at Mindset Mental Health Strategy, said more Canadians could be turning to pot because people are feeling stuck in the flight-or-fight response.

“This pandemic is difficult because we can’t necessarily fight the pandemic and we cannot leave from it either since we’re essentially stuck in our homes, it puts us in a really awkward position where our brain is always firing and there’s not much we can do to resolve the stressor,” Friesen said.

Dr. Olga Chernoloz, a neuroscientist who studies cannabis, said that cannabis activates cannabinoid receptors that make up the most abundant type of receptors in the brain.

“In the pandemic times, with very high degrees of stress and uncertainty we are likely looking at imbalances in the biochemical state of serotonin that makes us happy, dopamine that brings us joy and adrenalin that regulates anxiety,” Chernoloz said.

She added that when cannabis activates a specific subtype of cannabinoid receptors, they can temporarily bring brain functions back into balance.

“We are all coping because the tension of uncertainty this year is very difficult to bear and through cannabis, people are looking to make their day a little bit better so that things are not as bleak,” Chernoloz said.

Although cannabis has the ability to do this, Chernoloz said this is not a long-term solution for coping during the pandemic.

Hota added her concern for Canadians using the substance to cope during the pandemic.

“I worry that people are using it (cannabis) to cope with mental health issues that should best be managed by a professional,” she said.

However, Arianne Persaud prefers cannabis as a form of wellness rather than seeing a professional.

“I have struggled with individual therapy for my PTSD and depression. I feel like I have had more harmful experiences with therapy than I’ve had positive ones,” Persaud said.

“I believe I’ve developed an understanding of how to work wellness into my life and for my mental health, rather than thinking that therapy or prescription drugs are going to help me through this pandemic.”