New Study Investigates Mental Health Risks of Teen Cannabis Use

A new study in JAMA Health Forum tracking over 463,000 adolescents from ages 13 to 17 through age 26 found that teens who reported cannabis use in the prior year faced significantly higher risks of later developing psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety, with the risk of psychotic and bipolar disorders roughly doubled among cannabis users.

The research drew on electronic health records from routine pediatric visits between 2016 and 2023, and found cannabis use typically preceded a psychiatric diagnosis by roughly 2 years. Unlike prior research that focused mainly on heavy use or diagnosed cannabis use disorder, this study captured any self-reported use in the past year, and authors noted that the findings held even after accounting for prior mental health conditions and other substance use. Researchers also noted cannabis use was more common among teens on Medicaid and in lower-income neighborhoods.

The study was funded by a grant from NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse, the federal government’s primary funder of drug research, and it is also the biggest single funder of cannabis research generally, predominantly studying cannabis misuse and negative effects over researching cannabis as a potential medical treatment. That imbalance can be attributed to NIDA’s stated mission, which centers on the causes and consequences of drug use and addiction rather than on researching therapeutic uses of cannabis or other drugs.

Risks associated with mental health for young cannabis consumers have been subjected to numerous studies since the 1980’s, and proponents of cannabis legalization who acknowledge the risks have pointed to the fact that in a regulated marketplace, access to cannabis is more tightly controlled.

While this particular study’s authors suggest widespread “commercialization” of high-potency cannabis as a leading cause of the issues arising from underage use, other recent studies have concluded that legalization does not dramatically increase underage consumption.