People who use cannabis frequently may be considerably more likely to suffer anxiety and depression, a study suggests.
Analysis of more than 35,000 Canadians, aged 15 and over, found the proportion of regular users reporting ‘generalised
anxiety disorder’ (5.2%) and ‘major depressive episodes’ (7.6%) nearly doubled between 2012 and 2022.
In the same period – during which the country legalised cannabis in 2017 – the number of participants using the drug multiple times a week more than doubled, and by the last year of the study had reached 20.7%.
The research, which analysed data from two surveys by Statistics Canada, found the correlation between cannabis and mental health issues ‘strengthened over time’. In 2022, those using at least twice a week were five times more likely to report anxiety, depression
or suicidal thoughts.
‘It’s important for people to recognise when and how their cannabis use may be impacting their mental health, and how their mental health may be influencing their cannabis use,’ said Jillian Halliday, an assistant professor at McMaster’s School of Nursing, who led the research.
Study The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry
Image | ISTOCK
