Adolescents who use cannabis could face a significantly higher risk of developing serious psychiatric disorders by young adulthood, according to a large new study published today in JAMA Health Forum. The longitudinal study followed 463,396 adolescents ages 13 to 17 through age 26 and found that past-year cannabis use during adolescence was associated with a significantly higher risk of incident psychotic (doubled), bipolar (doubled), depressive and anxiety disorders.
The study analyzed electronic health record data from routine pediatric visits between 2016 and 2023. Cannabis use preceded psychiatric diagnoses by an average of 1.7 to 2.3 years. The study’s longitudinal design strengthens evidence that adolescent cannabis exposure is a potential risk factor for developing mental illness.
Unlike many prior studies, the research examined any self-reported past-year cannabis use, with universal screening of teens during standard pediatric care, rather than focusing only on heavy use or cannabis use disorder.
The study also found that cannabis use was more common among adolescents enrolled in Medicaid and those living in more socioeconomically deprived neighborhoods, raising concerns that expanding cannabis commercialization could exacerbate existing mental health disparities.
Anecdotally speaking, this has been my experience as well. I would even go so far as to say the kids I know who smoked the most (or had that reputation) are the ones with the most/worst psychiatric issues as adults.
I have nothing against cannabis use and I do not judge people who use it, but I think parents who are too accepting / forgiving of their teenagers’ use are doing them a disservice. Additionally, when I was a teen, kids were smoking actual, real weed. These days, kids are vaping and using what are essentially poorly tested/understood pharmaceuticals. I won’t claim to be an expert in the topic, but I certainly think there’s ample reason to be concerned about the effects of these things.
Counterpoint: I’m fuckin’ chillin dude.
Amen to that. Had a downstairs neighbor that goes to a dispensary all the time and uses vapes. Tried some and it did fuck-all for me, other than give me a headache and make me feel queasy.
Shit’s not right. I’ve got a tin with 40+ year old beans and at some point in the spring am going to see if I can germinate some of it and see what grows and if it’s better.
NGL, what there is that I’ve tried in the past decade isn’t impressive.
Quick release high and even quicker come down. What happened to the easy rise and long, slow return that gave you a lift for an entire afternoon?
Were living in basically the golden age of Cannabis. Just because some poor products are popular among certain populations doesn’t mean that it’s all crap. You can find literally any kind of seed you could ever imagine now.