Abstract
INTRODUCTION: In legal and illegal markets, high-potency cannabis (>10 % delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)) is increasingly available. In adult samples higher-potency cannabis has been associated with mental health disorder but no studies have considered associations in adolescence.
METHODS: A population-wide study compared no, low and high potency cannabis using adolescents (aged 13-14 years) self-reported symptoms of probable depression, anxiety, and auditory hallucinations.
RESULTS: Of the 6672 participants, high-potency cannabis was used by 2.6 % (n=171) and low-potency by 0.6 % (n=38). After adjustment for sociodemographic factors, tobacco and alcohol use, in comparison to participants who had never used cannabis, people who had used high-potency but not low-potency cannabis were more likely to report symptoms of depression (odds ratio 1.59 [95 % confidence interval 1.06, 2.39), anxiety (OR 1.45, 95 % CI 0.96, 2.20), and auditory hallucinations (OR 1.56, 95 % CI 0.98, 2.47).
CONCLUSIONS: High-potency cannabis use is associated with an increased risk of probable mental health disorders. Services and programming to minimise drug harms may need to be adapted to pay more attention to cannabis potency.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 111359 |
| Journal | Drug and Alcohol Dependence |
| Volume | 261 |
| Early online date | 14 Jun 2024 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Aug 2024 |
Funding
This work was funded by The Wellcome Trust (LH 209158/Z/17/Z). This work was supported by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme, grant number NIHR PHR 17/97/02; The Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer), a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence, joint funding is acknowledged from the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, the Welsh Government and the Wellcome Trust, under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, and the Welsh Government through Health and Care Research Wales (MR/KO232331/1). SZ is supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the National Health Service, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. The funder had no role in the design, or conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, or interpretation of the data; preparation, review or approval of the manuscript; or decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Llywodraeth Cymru | |
| Economic and Social Research Council | |
| Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement | |
| United Kingdom Clinical Research Collaboration | |
| Medical Research Council | |
| University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust | |
| Cancer Research UK | |
| British Heart Foundation | |
| University of Bristol | |
| The Wellcome Trust | LH 209158/Z/17/Z |
| National Institute for Health and Care Research | PHR 17/97/02 |
| Health and Care Research Wales | MR/KO232331/1 |
Keywords
- Humans
- Adolescent
- Male
- Female
- Cannabis
- Hallucinations/chemically induced
- Mental Health
- Depression/epidemiology
- Anxiety/epidemiology
- Marijuana Use/epidemiology
- Dronabinol
- Marijuana Smoking/psychology
- Mental Disorders/epidemiology
