Association of Marijuana Use With Poor Mental Health Among Non-Institutionalized Adults in the US

Speaker(s)

Pathak M1, Wiener RC2, Wang H3, Shen C4, Mitra S5, Findley P6, Sambamoorthi U1
1University of North Texas Health Sciences Center, Denton, TX, USA, 2West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA, 3JPS Health Network, Dallas, TX, USA, 4Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA, 5Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA, 6Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

Presentation Documents

OBJECTIVES: While marijuana use may confer medical benefits, many severe side effects have been reported including cardiovascular health and mental health disorders. The objective of this study is to determine the association of marijuana (cannabis/hashish) use with last year's serious psychological distress(SPD) using a large, nationally representative sample of US households.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of adults (age>18 years) using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2021. There were 39,398 participants after excluding those with marijuana use in the past 30 days(N=7,849) and respondents(18-23 years of age) living in a dormitory(n=44), representing 219 million adults in the US. Multivariable logistic regression with survey weights was conducted to analyze the association of marijuana use (within 1-12months, > 1 year, Never) with SPD after controlling for as age, sex, race & ethnicity, and Social Determinants of Health (SDoH - education, poverty, health insurance, metro area, and marital status), health conditions, and life style factors (smoking, and alcohol use).

RESULTS: Overall, 7% of adults reported using marijuana within the previous year, and xx% never used marijuana. A higher percent of Individuals reporting marijuana use in previous year reported of SPD (26.4%), followed by those who used marijuana over a year ago (13.8%) compared to those who never used it (8.9%). Adjusted logistic regressions confirmed that past-year marijuana use was significantly associated with higher SPD (AOR [95% CI]= 2.08 [1.75, 2.47]), with a similar but slightly lower association observed for those who used marijuana over a year ago (AOR [95% CI]= 1.63 [1.41, 1.89]), compared to individuals who never used marijuana.

CONCLUSIONS: One in 14 adults used marijuana in the previous year, and they were more likely to report SPD. Rigorous prospective research studies are needed to better understand the short- and long-term impacts of marijuana use on mental health.

Code

EPH127

Topic

Epidemiology & Public Health, Study Approaches

Topic Subcategory

Public Health, Surveys & Expert Panels

Disease

Mental Health (including addition)