Summary: A new large-scale U.S. study finds that cannabis (marijuana) use nearly doubled among people with depression between 2005 and 2017, and by 2017 those with depression were roughly twice as likely to use cannabis as those without depression.
Source: Wiley
Key findings: Analysis of national survey data from 728,691 people aged 12 and older shows that past-30-day cannabis use rose from 2005 to 2017 among both people with and without depression, but the increase was larger and faster for those with depression. In 2017, 18.9% of respondents with depression reported past-month cannabis use compared with 8.7% of respondents without depression. Daily use was reported by 6.7% of those with depression versus 2.9% of those without.
The researchers also identified important links between perceived risk and use: people with depression were less likely to believe regular cannabis use posed great risk, and their perception of risk declined faster over time. Among respondents with depression in 2017 who perceived no risk from regular cannabis use, 38.6% reported past-30-day use; by contrast, only 1.6% of those who perceived great risk reported past-month use.
Young adults with depression appeared particularly vulnerable. Nearly one-third (29.7%) of 18–25-year-olds with depression reported cannabis use in the past 30 days, indicating a high prevalence of recent use in this age group.
According to corresponding author Renee Goodwin, PhD, MPH (Columbia University and The City University of New York), the study suggests a meaningful association between falling perceptions of risk and rising cannabis use among people with depression. The pattern of faster declines in perceived harm alongside faster increases in any and daily cannabis use raises concerns about changing attitudes and behaviors in this vulnerable population.
Source:
Wiley newsroom
Media contact:
Penny Smith – Wiley
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Original research (closed access):
“Rapid increase in the prevalence of cannabis use among persons with depression in the U.S., 2005–2017: the role of differentially changing risk perceptions.” Lauren R. Pacek, Andrea H. Weinberger, Jiaqi Zhu, Renee D. Goodwin. Addiction. DOI: 10.1111/add.14883
Abstract
Title: Rapid increase in the prevalence of cannabis use among persons with depression in the U.S., 2005–2017: the role of differentially changing risk perceptions
Aims
The study aimed to estimate trends from 2005 to 2017 in cannabis use and in perceived risk of regular cannabis use among people with and without past-year depression in the United States.
Design
Researchers used annual cross-sectional survey data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), analyzing linear time trends for any, daily, and non-daily past-30-day cannabis use as well as the prevalence of perceiving great risk from regular cannabis use. Logistic regression models treated survey year as the predictor and adjusted for gender, age, race/ethnicity, and income. Models examining trends in cannabis use also adjusted for perceived risk.
Setting
United States: NSDUH public use data files, 2005–2017.
Participants
728,691 individuals aged 12 years and older who completed the annual survey across the study years.
Measurements
Self-reported past-30-day cannabis use (any use, daily use, and non-daily use) and self-reported perception that regular cannabis use carried great risk.
Findings
Across the survey period, prevalence of any, daily, and non-daily past-month cannabis use was consistently higher among respondents with depression than those without. For example, in 2017 any past-month use was 18.94% for those with depression versus 8.67% for those without; adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=2.17 (95% CI=1.92, 2.45). Both groups experienced increases in any, daily, and non-daily use from 2005 to 2017, but increases in any use (aORs=1.06 vs. 1.05; p=0.008) and daily use (aORs=1.10 vs. 1.07; p=0.021) were more rapid among people with depression after adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Perception of great risk associated with regular cannabis use was significantly lower among those with depression (p<0.001) and declined faster over time in the depressed group compared with those without depression (aORs=0.89 vs. 0.92; p<0.001).
Conclusions
From 2005 to 2017, cannabis use increased in the U.S. among people both with and without depression, but prevalence remained about twice as high among those with depression. The data indicate that people with depression experienced a faster decline in perceived risk of regular cannabis use, which may help explain the more rapid rise in any and daily past-month cannabis use within this group. These findings highlight the need for clinicians, public health professionals, and policymakers to consider changing risk perceptions and elevated use among people with depression when designing prevention, education, and treatment efforts.