(GQ) – Scroll through Reddit, and you’ll find post after post written by people claiming that a single gummy left them in a permanent state of anxiety, with recurring panic attacks, a feeling of dissociation that won’t fade, or unbearable physical symptoms. One night, Lexi, 27, had a similar experience with a 10-mg gummy while watching a movie with her husband. “The room was moving, everything looked huge, and I felt very small,” she says. “My heart rate was 180 and I was uncontrollably shaking.” Since then, she says she has started experiencing derealization, a neurological anxiety symptom. “My surroundings feel fake. Almost like in the movies Inception or The Matrix. It feels like I’m dreaming,” she says. While she had experienced panic attacks prior to the movie night, they’re now more frequent and severe. “It completely altered my life. I wish I could go back and never consume the edible.”

As early as 1997, researchers found that cannabis—specifically THC—can trigger recurring panic attacks and uncover latent panic disorders in vulnerable populations. More recently, studies suggest that cannabis users are more likely to develop or have more severe anxiety than the general public. (Read More)