Cannabis Use and Mental Health: Clinical Implications for Anxiety, Depression, and Psychosis Risk

Global cannabis legalization has significantly expanded access to high-potency products with elevated delta-۹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels often exceeding ۲۰–۳۰%, coinciding with increased prevalence of use, especially among adolescents and young adults; this narrative review, synthesizing systematic reviews, meta-analyses, prospective studies, and clinical trials up to December ۲۰۲۵, reveals that high-potency THC is strongly linked to dose-dependent psychosis risk (odds ratios up to ۵. ۰ for daily use), amplified by adolescent onset and genetic factors, while prospective data show modest increased incident depression risk (OR ≈۱. ۲۹) heightened by heavy or early use, bidirectional anxiety associations often driven by self-medication with acute high-THC inducing paranoia, and cannabidiol (CBD) offering preliminary short-term anxiolytic effects albeit with low-to-moderate evidence quality; cannabis use disorder prevalence (۹–۳۰%) has risen post-legalization, exhibiting high psychiatric comorbidity and poorer prognosis across disorders, leading to the conclusion that risks from high-THC formulations generally outweigh therapeutic benefits, necessitating routine clinical screening, prioritization of evidence-based treatments, harm-reduction strategies for persistent users, and regulatory measures to curb potency and youth access in order to mitigate adverse mental health outcomes.

کلیدواژه ها:

Cannabis ، Psychosis ، Anxiety disorders ، Depression ، High-potency cannabis.