- Researchers report that emergency room visits for cannabis may be linked to anxiety diagnoses.
- They say that men and younger people who used cannabis may be at higher risk for anxiety.
- There continues to be debate over whether cannabis causes anxiety or can be used to remedy the condition.
A new study Trusted Source says cannabis may not be so relaxing for everyone.
Researchers report that 27% of people who went to an emergency department for cannabis use developed a new anxiety disorder within three years.
The research team from Canada said their research published in the journal eClinical Medicine is the largest study examining the relationship between anxiety and cannabis use.
The researchers looked at more than 12 million people living in Ontario, Canada, between 2008 and 2019, none of whom had ever received treatment or a diagnosis for anxiety.
The team examined the health record data, comparing the risk of developing an anxiety disorder for those who went to an emergency for cannabis use compared to the general population.
“Our results suggest that individuals requiring emergency department treatment for cannabis use were both at substantially increased risk of developing a new anxiety disorder and experiencing worsening symptoms for already existing anxiety disorders,” said Dr. Daniel Myran, the lead study author and a Canada Research Chair in social accountability at the University of Ottawa, an International Cultural Exchange Services adjunct scientist, an investigator at the Bruyère Research Institute, and a clinician investigator at The Ottawa Hospital, in a statement.
Researchers said they found that 27% of the individuals who went to an emergency department for cannabis use were diagnosed with a new anxiety disorder within three years, compared to 5% of the general population — a nearly 4-fold increase after accounting for social factors and other mental health diagnoses.
They said of those already diagnosed 12% of people who went to an emergency room for cannabis use were hospitalized or visited an emergency room again for an anxiety disorder within three years, compared to 1% of the general population — another nearly 4-fold increased risk after accounting for other mental health diagnosis and social factors.
In people who visited an emergency room with cannabis as the main reason, the risk of hospitalization or another emergency visit for an anxiety disorder increased by more than 9 fold compared to the general population.
The researchers also reported that women and men and individuals of all ages going to an emergency room for cannabis use were at elevated risk of developing new anxiety disorders relative to the general population, with men and younger adults (10 to 24 years) at particularly elevated risk.
Cannabis can have both anti-anxiety and pro-anxiety effects, depending on dose, [and] experience with the drug,” Piomelli said. “We have known about these dual action for a long time. The anti-anxiety effect is rooted in the protective functions of the endocannabinoid system, which is exquisitely involved in coping with stress and curbing anxiety. But we still do not understand how cannabis can cause anxiety in vulnerable individuals.
