[ad_1]
A review article published in the journal. Epidemiology describes the impact of cannabis use on mental health among young Australians and Americans.
Study: Cannabis use and its impact on youth mental health in Australia and the United States: a scoping review.. Image Credit: hikrcn/Shutterstock
Background
Cannabis has a centuries-old history of use for medical, spiritual and recreational purposes. Its popularity is increasing among young people around the world, reflecting a global prevalence of 2.8%.
The estimated prevalence of cannabis use among youth in the United States is 7.1%, making it the second most used substance after alcohol. In Australia, the prevalence of cannabis use is approximately 34% among young people aged 14 years and over.
Cannabis use is increasing globally due to the general perception of its harmless nature and lack of dependence. However, a large body of evidence indicates the negative health impact of frequent and long-term cannabis use.
The psychoactive compound 9 delta-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) present in cannabis is primarily responsible for adverse mental health outcomes among users. Cannabis also contains some beneficial bioactive compounds, including cannabichromene (CBC), which is known to have analgesic, neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties.
In this review, the authors have comprehensively analyzed the existing evidence on the impact of cannabis use on mental health among young Australians and Americans.
The nature of cannabis legalization is similar in these countries. The recreational and medical use of cannabis is already legal in many states and others are in the process of legalizing it. Due to these factors, these two countries present a unique context to study the impact of cannabis use on mental health.
Study design
The authors searched several electronic databases to select relevant human studies on the impact of cannabis use on mental health among young populations in Australia and the United States. They included peer-reviewed journal articles published in English, including systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and cohort, longitudinal, and cross-sectional studies.
A total of 24 studies were selected and analyzed in the review, which included three systematic reviews and meta-analyses, seven cohort studies, seven longitudinal studies, and seven cross-sectional studies. Of these studies, three were conducted in Australia and 21 in the United States.
Important observations
The studies selected in the review pointed out the negative impact of cannabis use on various mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, suicide risk, psychosis, cannabis dependence and other mental disorders.
Depression and anxiety
The analysis revealed that cannabis use significantly increases the risk of depression among young people aged 12 to 32 years. The risk was comparatively higher among African American women and those belonging to LGBTQI groups.
In some studies, a trend of increasing cannabis use from adolescence to adulthood was observed. However, no conclusive association was found between age of cannabis use and the development of depression.
Regarding the risk of anxiety, studies produced mixed results: some showed a significantly increased risk of developing anxiety due to cannabis use and others showed no such association.
Suicide risk
The analysis revealed that cannabis use may increase the risk of suicidal ideation, suicidal thoughts, and suicidal plans among adolescents. An association was also observed between past-year cannabis use disorder, daily cannabis use, and non-daily cannabis use with higher rates of suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts among youth.
The increased risks of suicide related to cannabis use were most significant among youth with and without cannabis use disorder. However, females showed greater susceptibility than males.
Psychosis
A direct association was observed between the frequency of cannabis use and cannabis use disorder and the risk of psychosis among youth, with women showing a higher prevalence than men.
Young people who used cannabis more frequently showed a higher risk of developing psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and paranoia.
Cannabis use disorder and dependence
The intensity of cannabis use showed a direct association with cannabis use disorder, with recent users showing a higher risk than non-users. A greater susceptibility to developing alcohol and opioid use was observed among adolescents with cannabis use disorder.
Considering different forms of cannabis, evidence indicated that the risk of disorder, abuse, and dependence from cannabis use is highest for blunt use, followed by dual use of cigarettes and blunt, and non-blunt marijuana use.
Importance of the study
This review article highlights that cannabis use among young people is associated with the risk of developing depression, psychosis, suicidality, cannabis use disorder, dependence, cognitive impairment and externalizing behavior, particularly attention deficit disorder. with hyperactivity.
The risk of developing mental health problems is associated with the frequency, duration, intensity and types of cannabis use. Factors that may significantly increase the risk of mental health problems include female gender, minorities, LGBTQI youth, African Americans, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and age of initiation of cannabis use.
Overall, the findings highlight the need to increase awareness among young people about the negative impact of cannabis use on mental health.