A lot of studies have been conducted on the role of cannabis use in psychosis, considerably less attention has been paid to whether cannabis use is associated with an increased risk of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. The research, conducted by experts from the McGill University and the University of Oxford, carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of the best existing evidence and analyzed 23,317 individuals to see whether the use of cannabis in young people is associated with depression, anxiety and suicidal tendencies in early adulthood.
The study authors found that cannabis use among adolescents is associated with a significantly increased risk of depression and suicidal tendencies in adults. the widespread use of the drug by young people makes the scale of the risk much more serious. Their findings of depression are very relevant for clinical practice and public health. Although the size of the negative effects of cannabis can vary between individual adolescents and it is not possible to predict the exact risk for each teenager, the widespread use of cannabis among the young generations makes it an important public health issue. The active ingredient in cannabis,
THC mediates most of the psychoactive and mood-related effects of cannabis and also has addictive properties. It is thought that cannabis may alter the physiological neurodevelopment of adolescent brains. While the review of observational studies was the first to look at the effects of cannabis use in adolescents only, it was not possible to predict the risk at the individual level, nor was it possible to discern information about the dose-dependent risk of cannabis use.
