Smoking cannabis 'does not make you depressed or anxious'

No link: Cannabis does not cause depression according to the latest research
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Tom Marshall18 February 2016

Smoking cannabis does not cause people to become depressed or anxious as previously thought, scientists have said.

A major new study, which involved nearly 35,000 people, found that people who smoke the drug are no more likely to be depressed or develop a variety of anxiety-related mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder.

The research, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, challenges previous thinking on the effects of using the class B drug. Public health bodies have often cited a link between cannabis and depression.

However, the paper did not look into whether there are links between the drug and schizophrenia, which is also frequently claimed.

The study, which was produced by experts from five universities and medical institutions in the US and France, did find that cannabis users were at an increased risk of dependence on cigarettes, alcohol or drugs.

The scientists examined the records of about 35,000 adults in the US. They looked at the levels cannabis use and then checked the rates of mental health problems three years later.

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