A study from Oregon State University surfaces a quiet contradiction embedded in one of the most common reasons people reach for cannabis: the pursuit of calm may be quietly eroding the body's own capacity for it. Researchers found that frequent cannabis users wake each morning with elevated cortisol levels, suggesting that chronic use may gradually unsettle the very hormonal rhythms it is meant to soothe. The finding invites a deeper question about the difference between relief and repair — and whether a substance that quiets the feeling of stress can nonetheless deepen its biological roots.