Higher-potency Cannabis Use in Adolescents is Associated With Mental Health Problems
Higher-potency cannabis is increasingly available, and its use is associated with anxiety and psychosis in adults. Researchers used baseline assessments from a trial in England and Wales to examine the association between higher-potency cannabis use and mental health in adolescents 13–14 years of age. Cannabis potency was correlated with probable depressive disorder, probable anxiety disorder, and auditory hallucinations using standardized questionnaires.
- Of 6672 participants, 38 (0.6%) reported low-potency cannabis use and 171 (2.6%) high-potency cannabis use.* Compared with low-potency use, high-potency use was more common among those who smoked combustible cigarettes, drank alcohol, were a gender minority, and came from a socioeconomically deprived household.
- In unadjusted analyses, low-potency cannabis use was associated with depression and anxiety, but not hallucinations. High-potency use was associated with all three.
- In adjusted analyses, the association between low-potency cannabis use and the three outcomes was no longer significant. High-potency use was still associated with depression (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.59) and hallucinations (aOR, 1.56), but the association with anxiety was no longer significant.
*Potency was estimated by images used in prior research to facilitate participant identification of cannabis type. Low-potency was defined as typically <10 percent Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 1–2 percent cannabidiol (CBD); high-potency as typically >10 percent THC, <1 percent CBD.
Comments: This study suggests that higher-potency cannabis use may lead to more mental health problems in adolescents. Regulations limiting cannabis potency and interventions addressing cannabis use in adolescents may help to mitigate these harms.
Darius A. Rastegar, MD
Reference: Hines LA, Cannings-John R, Hawkins J, et al. Association between cannabis potency and mental health in adolescence. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2024;261:111359.