Frequent non-medical cannabis use and mental health: a cross-sectional analysis prior to regulated access
File(s)
Published online version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
As more countries explore regulatory models for non-medical cannabis, concerns persist about its mental health impact. While frequent use has been linked to depression and anxiety, the strength and direction of these associations remain uncertain. This study presents baseline data from Züri Can, a longitudinal observational study in Zurich, Switzerland, evaluating cannabis access under a strictly regulated framework. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 2207 participants who completed assessments prior to purchasing cannabis. Mental health was assessed using the PHQ-9 and GAD-7, and substance use with the CUDIT-R and AUDIT-C. Despite high cannabis use (56.4% ≥ 4 days/week) and 24.5% meeting criteria for cannabis use disorder, the prevalence of depression (2.8%) and anxiety (1.7%) was lower than in the general population. Mixed-model analyses indicated modest positive associations between cannabis use and symptoms of depression and anxiety, whereas alcohol, other illicit substances, prescription medication, female gender, and lower income showed similar or stronger positive associations. These findings suggest that mental health risks among frequent users may not primarily manifest as mood disorders but as substance use disorders and highlight the value of screening procedures in regulated cannabis frameworks.
Date Issued
2025-12-23
Date Acceptance
2025-12-04
Citation
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 2025
ISSN
1557-1874
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Journal / Book Title
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2025 Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
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Publication Status
Published online
Date Publish Online
2025-12-23