In a new study, researchers found over the past decade (2005-2017), the prevalence of cannabis use in the United States has increased among persons with and without depression.
But the increase is much more rapid among those with depression.
At the same time, people’s perception of risks linked to cannabis use has declined overall, and the decline has been more rapid among those with depression.
The research was conducted by a team from Columbia University and elsewhere.
With increasing legalization in the U.S., previous studies have shown that perception of risk associated with use is declining overall.
The results of this study show that this decline is even more rapid among this vulnerable population: those with depression.
The team ran a survey-based study of 728,691 persons aged 12 years or older.
In 2017, cannabis use was approximately twice as common among those with depression.
The perception of risks linked to cannabis use has appeared to act as a barrier to cannabis use in the general population.
The team found that cannabis use among those with depression who perceived no health risk of regular cannabis use was much higher than among those who perceived a strong risk associated with use — 39% versus 1.6%, respectively.
In 2017, the prevalence of past-month cannabis use was 19% among those with depression and 9 percent among those without depression.
Daily cannabis use was common among 7% of those with depression and among 3% of those without it.
Certain groups appeared more vulnerable to use. For instance, nearly one-third of young adults aged 18 to 25 with depression reported past 30-day use.
The team says depression is not generally a condition for which medicinal cannabis is prescribed, and it is not clear why recreational use would occur disproportionately among those with depression.
Cannabis may be increasingly used in an attempt to self-medicate depression in states where it is legal for recreational use.
The lead author of the study is Renee Goodwin, PhD, of Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and The City University of New York.
The study is published in Addiction.
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