Cannabis use in adolescents is linked to a higher risk of depression in adolescents – Health

Teenagers who use cannabis are at greater risk of developing depression and suicidal thoughts as young adults and should be informed of these risks by their parents and doctors, scientists said Wednesday.

About 7% of adolescent depression could be prevented if cannabis use were eliminated, according to an badysis of youth mental health data from the United States, Great Britain, and Canada who used cannabis at the time. l & # 39; teens.

"Although the magnitude of the negative effects of cannabis may vary (…) and that it is impossible to predict the exact risk for each adolescent, the widespread use of cannabis among younger generations in is an important public health problem, "said Andrea Cipriani. Professor of Psychiatry at Oxford University, UK, who co-directed the work.

Cannabis is the most commonly used recreational drug for teens in the world. In Canada, more than 20% of adolescents aged 15 to 19 report using it in the last year. In England, about 4% of 11- to 15-year-olds report having used cannabis in the past month.

The researchers said the results suggested that if cannabis use were eliminated, there would be about 400,000 fewer cases of depression among 18- to 34-year-olds in the United States, 25,000 in Canada, and about 60,000 in Great Britain. -Britain.

"It's a big problem in public health and mental health," Cipriani told reporters at a press briefing in London. "Teenagers should be informed of the risk."

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The study, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry and co-directed by Cipriani and researchers from McGill University in Canada, was a systematic review gathering the best evidence available.

It included 23,317 people from 11 international studies and looked at depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation in young adults.

Independent experts invited to comment on the study said his findings were strong and important.

"Among young adults around the world, depression is the leading cause of disability and suicide, the most common cause of death," said Joseph Firth, a specialist at Western Sydney University in Australia.

By showing that cannabis was a contributing factor in both cases, he said, the study showed the importance of looking for ways to reduce cannabis use among teens.