Cannabis use in the United States continues to consistently increase, often due to measures that increase accessibility or decrease legal consequences of possession. According to existing literature, while the health benefits of cannabis appear to be much less remarkable than many may report, the consequences of use are becoming more salient. One particularly disconcerting effect of cannabis use may be in its potential to moderate or precipitate certain forms of psychosis among predisposed users. This study aims to identify associations regarding cannabis use and psychosis in college students, a demographic which aligns with the national trend of increasing use.
The study’s sample is composed of 1034 students from several college campuses in the Boston, Massachusetts area who responded to questionnaires related to their history of substance use and mental health events (N=1034, 71% female). The data used for this particular set of research questions is derived from a secondary analysis of a much larger dataset created between 2010 and 2017 which served as a mental health screening tool for college students. The following variables were used in the analysis, with participant data generated by survey-based responses: past week cannabis use (via Substance Use Questionnaire and the Consumptive Habits Questionnaire), delusional ideation experiences (via 21-item Peters Delusions Inventory), hallucination experiences (via Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale-Revised), and depression symptoms (via Beck Depression Inventory). Data analysis was performed using analysis of covariance testing in addition to regression modelling.
Results of the analysis found cannabis use frequency to be associated with increased experiences of depression (p<0.001), delusional ideation (p=0.02), and hallucinations (p=0.002). More specifically, participants who reported cannabis use in the past week also reported a greater number of hallucinatory and delusional experiences than participants who did not report past-week cannabis use (p<0.001 for both variables).
Takeaway: the growing prevalence of cannabis use in the United States may lead to increased rates of psychotic experiences in different populations. This study suggests college students who use cannabis frequently may be at increased risk for a variety of mental health problems related to psychosis and depression. While additional research is needed to further develop and support findings such as these, appropriate psychiatric evaluation and care must continue to be emphasized when seeking to treat students who report problematic use.