NEW YORK, US – As the smoke rises on the American cannabis landscape, it seems to cast a pall over the mental health of the country’s young adults, according to a recent body of research. Prominent psychiatrists and mental health experts are warning that the upsurge in marijuana usage, particularly potent strains, could precipitate a youth mental health crisis.
Dr Ryan Sultan, an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia Irving Medical Center, has made a chilling observation: “Of all the people I’ve diagnosed with a psychotic disorder,” he said, “I can’t think of a single one who wasn’t also positive for cannabis.” Sultan’s alarming correlation illustrates the growing concern about the association between marijuana use and psychiatric disorders among adolescents and young adults.
Studies are consistently pointing to a link between heavy cannabis usage and disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. This month, a research project involving millions of people across several decades indicates that the legalization of recreational marijuana in multiple U.S. states could fuel the nation’s escalating mental health crisis among young adults.
Dr Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), expressed her concerns in an interview, emphasizing the higher concentrations of THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis, consumed in recent years. “There is a big sense of urgency not just because more people are smoking marijuana, but because more people are using it in ways that are harmful,” Volkow said.
One comprehensive study, conducted by Danish researchers in partnership with the U.S. National Institutes of Health, found a potent correlation between cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia. “This is worrisome,” remarked Volkow on the connection, which appeared significantly stronger than she had anticipated.
With the rolling green tide of cannabis legalization sweeping the country—22 states now allow recreational use, and Minnesota appears to be next in line—NIDA has prioritized addressing cannabis use among teenagers.
Daily marijuana use among young adults has hit record highs, with more than one in ten young adults aged 19-30 reporting daily usage, and nearly half reporting use within the past year, according to the agency’s latest data.
Another study, spearheaded by Sultan and his Columbia-based team, indicates that even teenagers who use cannabis recreationally have a two to four times higher risk of developing psychiatric disorders, including depression and suicidal tendencies.
Despite these findings, the causal relationship between cannabis use and mental health issues remains unclear. Dr. Volkow hopes that an ongoing large-scale study on adolescent brain development at the National Institutes of Health will provide more definitive insights.
However, for seasoned cannabis researcher Dr Deepak D’Souza, a psychiatrist at Yale University, the writing is already on the wall. “We may be grossly underestimating the potential risks associated with cannabis,” D’Souza warns. He expressed grave concerns about the potential mental health effects of cannabis use among youth amidst increasing legalization and potency.
“This is a massive concern,” D’Souza emphasized. “We have been woefully inept in educating the public and influencing policy.”
As the smoke continues to rise, only time will reveal the full scope of the potential mental health fallout from the country’s budding relationship with marijuana.
