Degenerate simply means having the same energy. The word is borrowed from mathematics, where it describes, for example, a quadratic equation whose two roots are equal to each other. For example, in an atom, the 2p orbitals are 3-fold degenerate. Valence electrons are not always degenerate with each other.
One of the main reasons people use marijuana is to reduce anxiety and cope with stress, and there is a theory out there that people who use marijuana might have a deficiency of their own marijuana-like chemicals in their brain, Patel told VICE News.
Cure for Anxiety and Depression in Self-Medicating Marijuana Users Could Be on the Horizon. Doctors studying marijuana use among patients who self-medicate with the drug as a way to battle depression and anxiety said that there could be a way to adjust an individual's brain function so that it no longer needs marijuana to feel good.