--- title: Cannabis Use Disorder in Youth Increases the Risk of Other Mental Illnesses description: Youth with cannabis use disorder (CUD) have a higher risk of developing schizophrenia, major depression, and anxiety disorders compared with youth with other substance use disorders (SUDs). image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/iStock-1159567315.jpg --- 3/6/26 2:56 PM # Cannabis Use Disorder in Youth Increases the Risk of Other Mental Illnesses ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://alert.psychnews.org/cannabis-use-disorder-in-youth-increases-the-risk-of-other-mental-illnesses) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://alert.psychnews.org/cannabis-use-disorder-in-youth-increases-the-risk-of-other-mental-illnesses) [Twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/cannabis-use-disorder-in-youth-increases-the-risk-of-other-mental-illnesses) [pinterest-p icon ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/cannabis-use-disorder-in-youth-increases-the-risk-of-other-mental-illnesses) [envelope icon ](mailto:?body=https://alert.psychnews.org/cannabis-use-disorder-in-youth-increases-the-risk-of-other-mental-illnesses) ![iStock-1159567315](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/iStock-1159567315.jpg?width=220&height=147&name=iStock-1159567315.jpg)Youth with cannabis use disorder (CUD) have a higher risk of developing schizophrenia, major depression, and anxiety disorders compared with youth with other substance use disorders (SUDs), according to a [study](https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.20250336#sec-3) published this week in*The American Journal of Psychiatry*.   Among adults, however, CUD was largely associated with lower risks of most mental illnesses compared with other SUDs.   **Why It’s Relevant** [Evidence](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215036623001438?via%3Dihub) that CUD and other SUDs may be linked to the development of psychotic disorders has been growing. Yet cannabis legalization and commercialization have advanced at a faster pace than the science, raising concerns about the impact on mental health, [particularly among youth](https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2026.03.3.6).   **By the Numbers** - The researchers compared the medical and pharmacy records of 345,903 adults and 24,793 youth with CUD with a matched set of patients with other SUDs (including alcohol use disorder). Participants had no prior history of mental illness. - Compared with youth with other SUDs, **youth with CUD** had a **52% higher risk** of developing schizophrenia, a **30% higher risk** of developing major depression, and a **21% higher risk** of developing an anxiety disorder. Youth with CUD had a **14% lower risk** of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, however. - Compared with adults with other SUDs, **adults with CUD** had a **19% lower risk** of developing schizophrenia, a **22% lower risk** of developing major depression, a **12% lower risk** of developing bipolar disorder, and a **41% lower risk** of suicide attempts. **What’s More** In a second matched cohort analysis, the researchers found that adults who had CUD and another SUD had a lower risk for multiple psychiatric disorders compared with patients with multiple non-cannabis SUDs.   **The Other Side** The data set did not indicate the severity of the SUD or the age of first drug use. Additionally, it didn’t include information on the type of cannabis product used, which can vary considerably in potency.   **What’s Next** “Differences in substance-specific addiction-reward pathways may contribute to differential risk for mental disorders among adults, whereas cannabis use in pediatric populations may result in greater susceptibility for schizophrenia and [depression] because of vulnerabilities in the developing adolescent brain,” the researchers wrote. “The association of cannabis use with mental disorders requires further investigation with behavioral, neuroimaging, and pathology studies.”   **Related Information** “[Rethinking Cannabis Use Among Youth](https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2026.03.3.6)”   **Source** Ryan C. Nicholson, et al. Association of cannabis use disorder versus other substance use disorders with psychiatric conditions: a propensity-matched retrospective cohort analysis. *The American Journal of Psychiatry*. Published March 3, 2026. doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.20250336   (Image: Getty Images/iStock/Alina Rosanova)   [schizophrenia](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/schizophrenia), [adolescents](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/adolescents), [depression](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/depression), [anxiety](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/anxiety), [cannabis](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/cannabis), [substance use disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/substance-use-disorder), [CUD](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/cud), [legalization](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/legalization) ## Related Posts [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/marijuana_iStock-1160375527-Jun-24-2025-06-24-23-0801-PM.jpg?height=200&name=marijuana_iStock-1160375527-Jun-24-2025-06-24-23-0801-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2020/12/depression-anxiety-three-times-more.html) ## [Depression, Anxiety Three Times More Likely in People with Cannabis Use Disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/2020/12/depression-anxiety-three-times-more.html) 12/18/20 12:00 AM [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2020/12/depression-anxiety-three-times-more.html) [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/food_iStock-182175784-Jun-24-2025-10-33-10-4537-PM.jpg?height=200&name=food_iStock-182175784-Jun-24-2025-10-33-10-4537-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2019/02/substance-use-disorder-borderline.html) ## [Substance Use Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder Common in Patients With Eating Disorders](https://alert.psychnews.org/2019/02/substance-use-disorder-borderline.html) 2/19/19 12:00 AM [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2019/02/substance-use-disorder-borderline.html) [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/people-walking-iStock-1392135352-Jun-24-2025-04-19-10-2705-PM.jpg?height=200&name=people-walking-iStock-1392135352-Jun-24-2025-04-19-10-2705-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2023/11/survey-highlights-scope-of-nations.html) ## [New Survey Data Highlight the Scope of Nation’s Behavioral Health Crisis](https://alert.psychnews.org/2023/11/survey-highlights-scope-of-nations.html) 11/14/23 12:00 AM [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2023/11/survey-highlights-scope-of-nations.html) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Psychiatric News Alert", "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert" }, "dateModified" : "2026-03-06T19:57:05.632Z", "datePublished" : "2026-03-06T19:56:26.000Z", "headline" : "Cannabis Use Disorder in Youth Increases the Risk of Other Mental Illnesses", "image" : [ "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/iStock-1159567315.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/cannabis-use-disorder-in-youth-increases-the-risk-of-other-mental-illnesses", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/PN-Blue-Box.jpg" } } } ```