Study Finds Link Between Cannabis Addiction and Poor Mental Health Outcomes

Yet another body of scientific data shows compelling evidence that cannabis addiction in young men puts those individuals at risk for mental health harm. These findings go against the false narrative that cannabis is harmless to users’ health.

Cannabis addiction afflicts millions of Americans, causing harm to their physical and mental health daily. New findings have drawn a connection between young men addicted to cannabis and an extremely high risk for serious mental health crises such as schizophrenia.

Cannabis Addiction and Mental Health Crisis

The National Institute on Drug Abuse recently published an NIH study highlighting the need to prevent and treat cannabis addiction, given new evidence that connects cannabis use to mental health concerns among young people, especially young men. To arrive at that finding, researchers at the Mental Health Services department in the Capital Region of Denmark analyzed the health records of more than six million people, records that spanned five decades. According to the findings, as many as 30% of cases of schizophrenia among men aged 21–30 may have been prevented by averting cannabis use or treating cannabis addiction.¹

The study authors noted their concerns within the study. Given that cannabis addiction is a serious affliction by itself, when compounded with the symptoms of schizophrenia (losing touch with reality, struggling with participation in everyday activities, rapid mood changes), young people are putting themselves in harm’s way with compounded mental health crises and drug addiction.

The researchers highlighted how the entanglement of drug use with mental health issues makes treating addicts a top priority. “The entanglement of substance use disorders and mental illnesses is a major public health issue, requiring urgent action and support for people who need it,” said NIDA Director and study co-author Nora Volkow, M.D., when asked about the study’s findings. “As access to potent cannabis products continues to expand, it is crucial that we also expand prevention, screening, and treatment for people who may experience mental illnesses associated with cannabis use. The findings from this study are one step in that direction and can help inform decisions that health care providers may make in caring for patients, as well as decisions that individuals may make about their own cannabis use.” The research also showed that young men are more likely to suffer from schizophrenia if they begin using cannabis earlier in life, like during childhood or adolescence.²

Another concerning finding from the study was that the rate of schizophrenia in marijuana users is going up as the ages at which people use marijuana are dropping. The researchers examined health record data from more than 6.9 million people who were ages 16–49 at some point between 1972 and 2021, and they found that the proportion of new schizophrenia cases that may be attributed to cannabis addiction has consistently increased over the past five decades. The likely cause for the increase was the higher potency of cannabis used today and the earlier onset of cannabis use in people’s lives.

How Else Does Cannabis Harm People?

The findings cited above are concerning enough to warrant broad and sweeping efforts to treat cannabis addiction and prevent others from becoming addicted to cannabis. However, the connection between cannabis abuse and schizophrenia is just one of the harmful effects of using cannabis. Cannabis drugs, regardless of how they are consumed, can have negative effects on users, including:³

• Altered sensory perceptions

• Altered sense of the passage of time

• Changes in mood, often rapidly and unpredictably

• Impaired body movement and uncoordinated walking

• Difficulty thinking, problem-solving, and learning

• Impaired memory, including short-term and long-term memory loss

• Hallucinations, delusions, and psychosis (risk for these effects is highest with regular use of cannabis)

Cannabis also affects brain development, particularly when people begin using the drug early in life. For example, cannabis use has been connected to a reduction in IQ of up to eight points. There is no indication the IQ points return after the individual ceases using cannabis.

Addiction Treatment is a Must for Those Who Can’t Stop Using Cannabis

The narrative that cannabis is not addictive is false. According to NIDA, cannabis is the second most frequently cited drug during intake at addiction treatment centers. About 17% of addicts say cannabis is the drug they seek treatment for. If you know someone who is using cannabis and can’t stop, please help them enter treatment today. Please don’t wait until it is too late and they suffer serious, permanent harm.⁴

Sources Cited: