Racial Discrimination Linked to Cannabis Coping Among Asian Americans During COVID | Research

The takeaway

Among over 3,000 Asian Americans surveyed during COVID-19, perceived racial bias was specifically associated with cannabis use for coping, while other pandemic stressors drove alcohol and tobacco use.

Public health researchers, mental health professionals, anyone interested in discrimination and substance use, Asian American health advocates

24% of Asian Americans reported discrimination as their greatest COVID stressor

What the researchers found

Racial/ethnic discrimination was associated only with cannabis use among Asian Americans during the pandemic, not with alcohol or tobacco. However, non-discriminatory COVID-19 stressors (economic, health) were associated with all three substances. About 24% of Asian Americans reported discrimination as their greatest source of stress.

Why it matters

Anti-Asian discrimination surged during COVID-19. This study reveals that discrimination-related stress and general pandemic stress drove different substance use patterns, suggesting that addressing racism specifically may help reduce cannabis use as a coping mechanism in this community.

The numbers in context

3,159 Asian American participants. 24% reported racial/ethnic discrimination as greatest stressor. Cannabis coping: 4.1%. Alcohol coping: 13.0%. Tobacco coping: 4.3%. Racial discrimination was associated only with cannabis use, not alcohol or tobacco.

How the study worked

Cross-sectional analysis of 3,159 Asian American participants from the AA & NH/PI COVID-19 Needs Assessment Project. Binary logistic regression examined associations between discrimination measures, pandemic stressors, and use of tobacco, alcohol, or cannabis for coping.

What this study cannot tell us

Cross-sectional design cannot determine causation. Self-reported substance use and discrimination. Surveyed during a specific pandemic period, which may limit generalizability. Grouping all Asian Americans together misses within-group diversity.

How to read the evidence

Moderate: large community-based sample with validated measures, but cross-sectional design and pandemic-specific context

When this study was published

Published in 2025 using pandemic-era data

The bigger picture

Different types of stress may drive different substance use behaviors. The specificity of the discrimination-cannabis link suggests something unique about how racial stress is processed compared to other pandemic stressors.

Questions still open

Why was discrimination specifically linked to cannabis but not alcohol? Does this pattern persist post-pandemic? Would disaggregating Asian American subgroups reveal different patterns?

Common questions

Why was discrimination linked only to cannabis and not other substances?

The study found this specific pattern but could not determine why. The authors suggest different stressors may trigger different coping behaviors, and that the discrimination-cannabis link deserves further investigation.

How common was substance use for coping?

Among Asian American respondents, 13.0% used alcohol, 4.3% used tobacco, and 4.1% used cannabis to cope with pandemic-related stress.

Read the original research

Perceived discrimination and coping with substance use among Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional analysis.

BMC public health, 25(1), 698

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Bacong, Adrian Matias; Maglalang, Dale Dagar; Tsoh, Janice Y; Saw, Anne. (2025). Perceived discrimination and coping with substance use among Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional analysis.. BMC public health, 25(1), 698. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21824-2