When 100 medical cannabis dispensary users were assessed with structured clinical interviews, lifetime mental illness prevalence was high, with particularly elevated rates of anxiety disorders and substance abuse/dependence.
Medical cannabis dispensary operators, mental health clinicians, and medical cannabis patients.
High anxiety disorder and substance abuse rates
What the researchers found
Using the MINI structured clinical interview, lifetime prevalence of mental illness was high. Current psychiatric disorder rates were low for mood disorders but high for anxiety disorders and substance abuse/dependence. Cannabis use patterns differed between psychiatric conditions. Many subjects endorsed psychological symptoms on standardized measures (stress, fatigue, sleep disturbance, depression, somatic symptoms, pain).
Why it matters
Most studies of dispensary users rely on self-report checklists. Using validated clinical instruments provides a more rigorous picture of mental health in this population.
The numbers in context
100 medical cannabis users. Structured MINI interview administered to all. Multiple standardized questionnaires completed. High lifetime mental illness prevalence. Low current mood disorder rates. High anxiety and substance disorder rates.
How the study worked
Cross-sectional study of 100 medical cannabis users recruited from a community dispensary. All completed the MINI structured clinical interview plus standardized questionnaires (Perceived Stress Scale-10, PROMIS Fatigue and Sleep scales, Beck Depression Inventory, PHQ-15, Brief Pain Inventory).
What this study cannot tell us
Cross-sectional design. Single dispensary. No control group. Cannot determine causation. Selection bias (dispensary users who agreed to participate). Sample may not represent all medical cannabis users.
How to read the evidence
Rigorous clinical assessment instruments, but cross-sectional single-site design without a control group.
When this study was published
2019 study.
The bigger picture
Whether cannabis use contributes to mental health problems or people with mental health problems are drawn to cannabis cannot be determined from this design, but the high co-occurrence is clinically important either way.
Questions still open
- Are dispensary users getting appropriate mental health care alongside their cannabis use? Should dispensaries screen for psychiatric conditions?
Common questions
Do medical cannabis users have mental health problems?
How was mental health assessed in this study?
Read the original research
Characterization of mental health in cannabis dispensary users, using structured clinical interviews and standardized assessment instruments.
BMC psychiatry, 19(1), 335
Citation
Yau, Jade C; Yu, Shu Min; Panenka, William J; Pearce, Hadley; Gicas, Kristina M; Procyshyn, Ric M; MacCallum, Caroline; Honer, William G; Barr, Alasdair M. (2019). Characterization of mental health in cannabis dispensary users, using structured clinical interviews and standardized assessment instruments.. BMC psychiatry, 19(1), 335. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-019-2324-z
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