Teens Who Used Cannabis Reported Less Ability to Look Forward to Things

Adolescents who used cannabis endorsed worse anticipatory anhedonia (difficulty looking forward to pleasurable experiences) compared to those who never used or tried cannabis only once. More frequent cannabis use correlated with greater anticipatory anhedonia. Teens diagnosed with cannabis use disorder reported greater depression and anxiety than those with non-disordered use.

Cross-sectional study of 153 adolescents (mean age 15.9, 64.1% female) presenting with mood and anxiety symptoms. Cannabis use was quantified via clinician interviews, self-reports, and urine toxicology. Linear regression models assessed associations between cannabis use and anhedonia subconstructs, adjusting for age and sex.

Anhedonia is a core symptom of depression and reflects dysfunction in the brain's reward system. Finding that cannabis use is specifically linked to anticipatory anhedonia in teens with mood symptoms suggests cannabis may compound reward-system problems in already vulnerable youth.

This study connects two growing concerns: rising adolescent cannabis use and the neurobiological impact on developing reward systems. Anhedonia is particularly treatment-resistant and predicts poor outcomes in depression, making this association clinically meaningful.

Small sample size (n=153) with cross-sectional design, which cannot determine whether cannabis causes anhedonia or anhedonic teens seek cannabis. Clinical sample may not generalize to community populations. Self-reported cannabis use may be underestimated.