A new study has found that young men with cannabis use disorder, the inability to stop using marijuana even though it causes health and social problems in their lives, have a higher chance of developing schizophrenia.
The study, completed by researchers with the National Institutes of Health, was published in Psychological Medicine and analyzed the detailed health records of more than 6 million people over the course of 5 decades.
The purpose of the study was to see if there was a correlation between those who have schizophrenia and whether or not cannabis use disorder could be attributed to it.
“Researchers found strong evidence of an association between cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia among men and women, though the association was much stronger among young men,” the NIH shared in a press release.
Overall, the study found that as many as 30% of cases of schizophrenia among men aged 21-30 might have been prevented if they weren’t smoking weed.
Researchers noted that while both mental disorders are serious, they can be treated through several means and should be addressed as a public health issue.
Doctor Nora Volkow, a study co-author and the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, shared in the press release the severity of the situation.
“The entanglement of substance use disorders and mental illnesses is a major public health issue, requiring urgent action and support for people who need it,” Volkow said.
The doctor continued, stressing that with cannabis becoming decriminalized and destigmatized, those who are at risk need help now more than ever.
“As access to potent cannabis products continues to expand, it is crucial that we also expand prevention, screening, and treatment for people who may experience mental illnesses associated with cannabis use,” Volkow said.
The study highlighted data which shows daily or near-daily cannabis use, cannabis use disorder, and new schizophrenia cases appear more frequently in men than in women.
Researchers say that around 15% of schizophrenia cases in men ages 16-49 could have been avoided in 2021 if they had abstained from smoking weed. In comparison, that number was 4% among women ages 16-49.
The study also stressed that “early, frequent cannabis use is associated with an increased risk of developing schizophrenia.”
“The findings from this study are one step in [the right] direction and can help inform decisions that health care providers may make in caring for patients, as well as decisions that individuals may make about their own cannabis use,” Volkow said.
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