Cannabis has been closely linked to a lot of mental illnesses. In fact, it is presently considered as one of the greatest risk factors in the development of certain psychological conditions such as anxiety, psychosis and even depression. Among the mental illnesses associated with the prolonged use of Cannabis, depression seems to be one of the most directly influenced.
As seen in several cases, there is a significant correlation between Cannabis and depression in individuals that take or have taken marijuana for a long time. Here are just some of the studies that prove the link between Cannabis and depression. In a 7 year study of 1,600 teenage girls in Australia, it was shown that girls who took Cannabis daily were five times more likely to become depressed and five times more likely to develop anxiety disorders compared to those who did not use the drug.
On the other hand, those who did not take the drug everyday but used it at least once every week were still twice as likely to develop depression compared to those who do not take Cannabis at all.
A second study, this time by doctors in Sweden, confirmed previous research listing Cannabis as one of the risk factors in developing depression. This particular research involving 50,000 men showed that those who had used Cannabis in the late 1960s were more prone to developing depression, as well as schizophrenia, by as much as 30%.
They are convinced that Cannabis and depression are significantly linked and that preventing the use of Cannabis clearly can decrease the number of depression cases as well as other mental disorders associated with the drug. A group of British scientists were responsible for conducting the third investigation. In this particular study, 1000 people, whose ages were no more than 25 years, were involved. According to the results, the greater number of people that developed depression and schizophrenia came from those who took Cannabis when they were still teenagers.
All these results clearly establish the connection between Cannabis and depression. Although all three cases do not explicitly mention the drug to be the primary cause of the illness, it is largely considered as a major risk factor that predisposes people to depression. Because of this, a lot of people believe that addressing the problem of drug use, especially in teenagers, can significantly reduce cases of depression as well as schizophrenia in adults.