Introduction
Anxiety disorders affect approximately 18% of U.S. adults annually. Common treatments, such as benzodiazepines can carry risks like dependence and cognitive impairment. Cannabis has emerged as a potential alternative for managing anxiety. This study examines how cannabis use influences the prescription of anti-anxiety medications using real-world data.

Objective
To investigate the association between cannabis use and changes in the dosage of prescribed anti-anxiety medications.

Methods
This study included 634 adults with insomnia disorders who purchased cannabis products from Minnesota dispensaries (2016–2022). Using MSA’s HIPAA-compliant de-identification technology, we linked patients' cannabis transaction records with electronic health records to obtain anti-anxiety medication prescriptions. We used the Defined Daily Dose (DDD) established by the World Health Organization (WHO) to obtain a ratio that reflects each patient’s daily intake. Mixed-effects linear regression models assessed changes in DDD ratio across periods before, during, and after cannabis use, adjusting for age, sex, race, ethnicity, drug type, THC:CBD ratio, and smoking status.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how cannabis use affects anti-anxiety medication dosages

• Discover cannabis' impact on benzodiazepine reduction

• Understand the role of THC:CBD ratio in anxiety management.