HealthDay (3/5, Neff) reports a study found that “as cannabis use becomes more common and weed more potent, the link between the drug and serious mood disorders is intensifying.” The researchers “analyzed data collected from 35,000 Canadians age 15 and older who were surveyed between 2012 to 2022. This timeframe captures the period before and after Canada legalized recreational cannabis in 2018.” The study “highlights a troubling trend: Cannabis use and mental health struggles are increasingly appearing together. While the study does not definitively prove that one causes the other, the statistical overlap is hard to ignore.” For example, researchers noted that “reports of generalized anxiety disorder and major depression nearly doubled, affecting 5.2% and 7.6% of the population, respectively.” Going forward, “researchers are calling for mental health [professionals] to routinely screen for cannabis use.” The study was published in The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.
Related Links:
— “Study Links Rising Cannabis Use to Poor Mental Health,”Deanna Neff, HealthDay, March 5, 2026