Association of High-Potency Cannabis Use with Mental Health and Substance Use in Adolescence

Jama Psychiatry

In this study, researchers surveyed almost 1100 twenty-four-year olds who used cannabis in the past year. They examined whether users of high-potency cannabis—with THC content greater than 10%—were more likely to suffer from mental health issues and use other substances.

This study has many strengths. First, the data was collected from a general population—making it relevant to policy. Second, the data set contains information about the participants from the time they were born, including socioeconomic position, psychotic experiences at 12 years old, and depressive symptoms at 13 years old. Third, the researchers go beyond many studies by dissociating cannabis potency from cannabis use.

In terms of substance use, users of high-potency cannabis had about four times greater odds of both using cannabis at least once every week and reporting problems associated with cannabis use, compared to their peers who used low-potency cannabis. They had twice the odds of recently using illicit drugs and three times the odds of being tobacco-dependent. Although the association with illicit drugs and tobacco dependence was not apparent after controlling for mental health during childhood and frequency of cannabis use. There was no evidence to suggest an association between high-potency cannabis use and alcohol dependence.

As for mental health, users of high-potency cannabis had twice the odds of generalized anxiety disorder and psychotic-like experiences compared to low-potency users. Only the association with anxiety remained after controlling for socioeconomic position, mental health during childhood, and frequency of cannabis use. The relation between high-potency cannabis and depression was unclear.

The key finding in terms of policy is that high-potency cannabis is linked to anxiety even when accounting for how often someone uses cannabis and various other factors. While it remains difficult for policymakers to influence how often someone uses cannabis, they may regulate the potency of cannabis in legal markets such as Canada.

To read the original article, click here.

Hines LA, Freeman TP, Gage SH, et al. Association of High-Potency Cannabis Use With Mental Health and Substance Use in Adolescence. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online May 27, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.1035