People with depression more likely to use cannabis

According to a new study published on the JAMA Network Open, people suffering from depression are more likely to use cannabis. The cross-sectional study found that people with depression were at increased risk of using the drug, and the researchers found particularly sharp increases in daily or near-daily cannabis use in this population group. "There is evidence that cannabis can worsen depressive symptoms, especially when consumed regularly," wrote Lauren R. Gorfinkel, MPH, of the Epidemiology Department at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and her colleagues. "However, a large part of the public considers cannabis helpful in treating depression," wrote Lauren R. Gorfinkel. In a national adult survey in the US, nearly 50% of respondents said they believe cannabis helps with anxiety or depression, while only 15% believe cannabis increases the risk \[of\] these conditions. Depression is one of the most common self-reported reasons for cannabis use, and nearly 25% of adults with mood or anxiety disorders report using cannabis for self-medication, "they added. Gorfinkel and his colleagues wanted to investigate the association between depression and cannabis use in recent months among adults in the United States, and the temporal trends in the association between 2005 and 2016. The researchers collected data from 16,216 adults, ages 20 to 59, who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey's annual cross-sectional survey. The exposures included both the survey year and depression corresponding to a score of 10 or higher on the patient health questionnaire-9. Daily or almost daily cannabis use for the past few months and any cannabis use for the past few months served as the main results and measures, and the researchers used logistic regression to examine trends over time. The results showed that people with depression had 1.9 times (95% CI, 1.62-2.24) the risk of daily or almost daily cannabis use compared to people without depression. "While more research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying the growing relationship between depression and frequent cannabis use, the study results underscore the current need for information campaigns around cannabis and depressive disorders," Gorfinkel and colleagues also wrote. "In addition, when treating patients, clinicians should be aware of changing trends and the relationship between cannabis use and depressive symptoms. This is particularly important in view of the frequent cannabis use, which is at greater risk of harm and possible exacerbation of depressive symptoms ".