Cannabis is often linked with relaxation, creativity, or an escape from stress, but some people are increasingly curious whether it can also support the psychology of non-attachment. In Buddhist and contemplative traditions, non-attachment does not mean apathy or indifference; it means engaging fully with life while loosening the tight grip of clinging to possessions, identities, and shifting emotional states.
In Buddhist-influenced psychology, non-attachment is described as relating to experience with flexibility, rather than getting locked into rigid stories about “me” and “mine.” Modern researchers describe something similar in the idea of “non-attachment to self”: staying engaged with thoughts and feelings without needing to control or fix them and without being defined by a particular outcome or identity. This overlaps with mindfulness, emotion regulation, and non-reactivity in therapies like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Some cannabis users say that, at low doses, THC helps them step back from racing thoughts or social anxiety and observe their experience with a little more distance—subjectively similar to non-attachment. Laboratory studies support part of this: low doses of THC can reduce stress and anxiety, while higher doses tend to increase anxiety and negative mood. This “biphasic” response means a carefully chosen dose may temporarily soften reactivity, but overshooting can have the opposite effect, amplifying anxious clinging to thoughts like “Everyone is judging me” or “Something is wrong.”
At the same time, cannabis clearly alters attention and emotion processing. Reviews and experimental work indicate that heavy or problematic use is associated with reduced accuracy in recognizing emotions, cognitive changes such as impaired working memory, and higher levels of emotion dysregulation—factors that are linked to depression, anxiety, and greater risk of problematic cannabis use. From a non-attachment perspective, anything that muddies awareness or narrows emotional clarity can move a person away from the clear seeing and balanced response emphasized in contemplative traditions.
Mindfulness-based interventions offer a useful bridge between non-attachment and cannabis. Multiple studies find that dispositional mindfulness and self-compassion are associated with lower coping-motivated marijuana use and reduced cannabis abuse, partly because they foster acceptance of emotions instead of attempts to blunt them. Brief programs combining motivational interviewing with mindfulness have shown promising results in reducing cannabis use among adults, and mindfulness-based psychoeducation appears to reduce negative automatic thoughts in people with cannabis use disorder. In these models, mindfulness and non-attachment to cravings are the main tools; any change in cannabis use is a downstream effect.
For people who mix cannabis with meditation or yoga, intention and context matter. A modest dose in a safe, familiar setting may help some individuals notice bodily sensations, loosen rigid self-talk, or watch thoughts come and go, which can support insight when followed by sober reflection. But using cannabis as the primary response to discomfort—every time anxiety, boredom, or sadness appears—tends to create a new attachment: dependence on a substance to regulate inner life. That pattern is associated with higher risks of cannabis use disorder, paranoia, and other mental health problems, especially with high-THC products and self-medicating patterns of use.
Ultimately, from a psychological standpoint, non-attachment has more to do with how someone relates to cannabis than what the plant “does” for them. Occasional, intentional use with honest awareness of dose, motives, and effects may fit within a broader path of letting go. Automatic, compulsive use to avoid feelings or chase a particular state pulls a person toward attachment rather than freedom. For anyone exploring this territory, clinicians generally recommend starting with education, low doses if using THC, candid self-reflection about motives, and prioritizing practices—like meditation, therapy, and journaling—that reliably cultivate non-attachment without chemical assistance.