Skip to main content

Tobacco, Cannabis Use Tied to High Rates of Self-Reported Mental Health Issues

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Sept. 15, 2023 -- Use of tobacco and/or cannabis, particularly co-use of both substances, is associated with poor mental health, according to a study published online Sept. 13 in PLOS ONE.

Nhung Nguyen, Ph.D., from the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues used data from the digital COVID-19 Citizen Science Study (2020 to 2022) to examine associations between self-reported use of tobacco and/or cannabis with anxiety and depression.

The researchers found that compared with nonuse, the adjusted odds of mental health disorders were highest for co-use (odds ratios [95 percent confidence intervals], 1.89 [1.64 to 2.18] and 1.77 [1.46 to 2.16] for anxiety and depression, respectively). Co-use (odds ratio, 1.35; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.08 to 1.69) and cannabis-only use (odds ratio, 1.17; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.00 to 1.37) were associated with higher adjusted odds for anxiety, but not for depression, compared with tobacco-only use. There were higher adjusted odds for both anxiety and depression associated with daily use (versus nondaily use) of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and cannabis.

"The findings suggest that coordinating tobacco and cannabis cessation with mental health treatment may be beneficial to address these comorbidities," the authors write. "Specifically, providing mental health support and addressing polysubstance use (e.g., tobacco, cannabis, alcohol) among individuals with co-use are needed to facilitate successful cessation from tobacco and cannabis."

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Child Maltreatment Linked to Externalizing, Internalizing Behavior

TUESDAY, May 14, 2024 -- Child maltreatment is associated with increases in externalizing and internalizing behaviors, according to a study published online May 14 in...

American Psychiatric Association, May 4-8

The annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association was held from May 4 to 8 in New York City, drawing participants from around the world, including clinicians...

Physicians With Disabilities May Experience Depersonalization

MONDAY, May 13, 2024 -- Physicians with disabilities (PWDs) are significantly more likely to experience depersonalization but not emotional exhaustion when compared with their...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.