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.
The use of marijuana for anxiety disorders, and just plain stress, comes from the fact that the brain naturally produces cannabinoids, which are the active chemicals in marijuana â namely, delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC â and what help regulate how fear is processed in the brain.