Cannabis use in the United States continues to trend upward every year, owed at least in part to its increased accessibility throughout the country. With more and more states legalizing recreational cannabis sales, in addition to the litany of measures in other states concerning decriminalization, medical use, etc., this climb in cannabis consumption may not stall soon. The college student demographic is no exception to these cannabis consumption trends. Research concerning the behavior is in high demand as the motivations and effects regarding the substance often remain inconclusive. A common finding among all demographics is and increased risk of precipitation or exacerbation of various health mental health issues in cannabis users. The purpose of this review is to investigate the relationship between cannabis legalization and the mental health of college students.
This review article examines dozens of different studies related to cannabis use and different mental health disorders. To begin, the authors summarize many findings which indicate a positive association between cannabis use and psychosis, especially among those who are predisposed for diseases like schizophrenia or schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. The authors emphasize that schizophrenia primarily precipitates in young adulthood, so great caution concerning use should be taken in this demographic. Next, the authors turn to literature concerning anxiety and depression. It is noted that cannabis can affect different individuals’ anxiety levels in complex and unpredictable manners, in addition to hampering improvement of symptoms in chronic anxiety sufferers. The heavy majority of the existing literature has found cannabis to be detrimental in depression management, with possible improvements being short-term only.
Papers concerning cannabis, ADHD, and academic performance were discussed, with the general conclusion being that cannabis decreases many different measures of cognition and performance, with no benefit found in those diagnosed with ADHD. The effect of cannabis consumption on sleep quality was discussed next, with conflicting patterns of evidence found. REM sleep and sleep latency are modified by cannabis consumption in different patterns depending upon dosage, with tolerance levels decreasing the magnitude of effect and overall sleep quality detriments being common. Lastly, the authors describe the signs and symptoms of cannabis dependency, citing its under-perceived prevalence and wide-reaching consequences similar to those mentioned above.
Takeaway: cannabis use in young adults is not associated with any beneficial outcomes as it relates to mental health. The consensus of the current literature states that frequent/chronic cannabis consumption has been associated with several different psychological problems and dependency concerns in young adults.