Using tobacco and cannabis may raise risk of depression, anxiety: Study

SAN FRANCISCO: People who use both tobacco and cannabis are more likely to have anxiety and depression than those who used tobacco only or only cannabis, according to a study.

Researchers conducted the study on 53,843 adults who participated in online surveys of which 4.9 per cent use tobacco, 6.9 per cent use cannabis only, and 1.6 per cent use both.

The findings, published in open-access journal PLOS ONE, showed that 26.5 per cent reported anxiety and 28.3 per cent reported depression among people who use both tobacco and cannabis.

Meanwhile, in people who used neither tobacco or cannabis, percentages of anxiety and depression were 10.6 per cent and 11.2 per cent.

The result showed that people having these mental health disorders were about 1.8 times greater for co-users than non-users.

"The co-use of tobacco and cannabis is associated with poor mental health and suggest that integrating mental health support with tobacco and cannabis cessation programs may help address this link," said Nhung Nguyen, author of the study, University of California, San Francisco.

"Engaging in both tobacco and cannabis is linked to diminished mental well-being," Nguyen added.