Marijuana and Mental Health

September 5, 2025

You’ve heard it before: marijuana isn’t bad for you. But not just not bad for you, it’s actually good for you. Especially for your mental health. The people who spread this misinformation had to get it from somewhere themselves. A chain or web of misinformation on marijuana, especially the relationship between marijuana and mental health keeps expanding.  

There are plenty of resources available to show that the premise that marijuana doesn’t affect your mental health despite perhaps to ‘zen’ you out is dangerous nonsense. This deep dive guides the reader through the many resources available that show the notion that marijuana doesn’t negatively impact your mental health just isn’t true. It does negatively impact your mental health; knowing that is extremely important. As you will see, it can even be lifesaving.  

The Basics  

Marijuana addiction (cannabis use disorder or CUD) 

Marijuana is addictive. There’s no debate.

  • Cannabis use is incredibly prevalent. 23% of U.S. adults used marijuana in the past year.
  • Marijuana is very addictive. 30% of marijuana users have cannabis use disorder (the medical term for marijuana addiction). 
  • The younger you start to use marijuana, the more prone to cannabis use disorder you are. According to Cleveland Clinic, starting to use before the age of 18 makes one four to seven times more likely to develop cannabis use disorder.   

If young users are more prone to marijuana use disorder, they are also more prone to the effects that come with it, especially cannabis-induced psychosis or addiction to marijuana.  

Cannabis-induced psychosis (CIP) 

CIP is psychotic behavior caused by marijuana use.  

  • Marijuana use makes it more likely to experience psychosis: four times more likely. 
  • Often the most destructive psychotic episode is the first one. High daily marijuana use is strongly linked to the onset of that first episode of psychosis.  
  • Even after the first episode of cannabis-induced psychosis, continued marijuana use increases their chances of relapsing or getting hospitalized again.   

Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders 

Aside from and related to experiencing CIP are the psychotic disorders that can develop from marijuana use, the most prevalent being schizophrenia.  

  • The U.S. National Academies’ major evidence review concluded there is “substantial evidence” of an association between cannabis use and the development of schizophrenia or other psychoses, with highest risk among the most frequent users. 
  • Across studies, heavier use means higher risk. A meta-analysis found the heaviest users had 3.9 times the odds of a psychotic outcome versus non-users. 
  • A JAMA Pediatrics study that found that a substantial portion (over half of the sample) of adolescent marijuana user participants reported acute psychotic symptoms, with symptoms more frequent among those with diagnosed depression and cannabis use disorder.  

Psychosis is one thing. Depression, anxiety, and suicidality are others, although as indicated above they can be comorbid. And marijuana use can lead to and exacerbate all of them. 

Depression and anxiety 

  • A meta-analysis found that teens who used marijuana during adolescence had a 137% higher likelihood of developing depression later in young adulthood. 

Depression and anxiety at their worse can lead to suicidal feelings and even suicide, and so it’s not surprising that there is a relationship between marijuana use and suicidality among vulnerable groups.  

Suicide and suicidality 

  • Veterans who used marijuana showed higher levels of suicidal thoughts and behaviors than those who didn’t. 

Now that we’ve looked at some basic statistics and facts that show the different ways in which marijuana use can impact mental health, let’s take a look more in-depth resources.

  • Cannabis Use Disorder: A Cleveland Clinic resource page about cannabis use disorder describes its deleterious effects, especially on mental health. It represents the link between marijuana and mental health most clearly, so anyone who wants to know more about the link should learn about this mental health disorder. Cleveland Clinic is also one of the most cited medical authorities in the United States, and the information here is helpful. A great place to start.   
  • The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: A National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report including a discussion on marijuana use’s impact on mental health. The report establishes that marijuana use increases the risk of developing schizophrenia and other psychoses, with more marijuana use increasing the risk further. Furthermore, heavy marijuana use was also associated with increased suicidality. This report is considered a landmark in this general topic, so its information about other health impacts are valuable too.  
  • The changing marijuana landscape: What you need to know: This American Psychological Association (APA) resource clears up misconceptions about marijuana and also updates the reader on how it has changed over time, especially its drastic increases in potency. This increase in potency is alarming because of high-potency marijuana’s better chances of leading to cannabis-induced psychosis and poorer mental health in general.

A Deeper Dive 

Let’s take a deeper dive into this subject and learn from the perspectives of people who have encountered this relationship in their own lives, whether as researchers, doctors (or both), and even people who experienced deleterious impacts on their mental health or had a loved one who did.  

  • Cannabis and Psychosis: The Link Between THC Use and Mental Health Risks: Dive into this episode of the Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Podcast, hosted by Dr. David Puder. He discusses the neurobiology of marijuana use, especially the drug’s impact on the adolescent brain, and how it can increase psychosis risk. Aside from the neurobiological and psychological science, the doctors also go into clinical science and reflect on how mental health professionals are effectively working with their patients struggling with these conditions that came from marijuana use. 

VIDEO: The American Medical Association on marijuana’s link to psychosis

  • Cannabis & Psychosis with Dr. Marta Di Forti and Professor Robin Murray: A Maudsley Learning podcast featuring professors of psychiatry at King’s College London. The conversation is grounded in two questions: how marijuana has changed over time and marijuana use leading to psychosis. Dr. Forti also reflects on her experience running a cannabis use disorder clinic in London.  
  • A Higher Love: This book was written by Heather Bacchus, a mother who lost her son, Randy Jr., to a suicide that was spurred by cannabis-induced psychosis. Read about the descent of Randy Jr.’s mental health, his passing, and the hope and knowledge his parents now share with others as they spread awareness about the dangers, especially the mental health dangers, of using marijuana.  

VIDEO: University of Maryland on weed use prevalence and potency

  • The Hill: An op-ed by SAM CEO and President Dr. Kevin Sabet, who speaks from an advocacy perspective on the significant negative impact marijuana use and the commercialization driving that use has on youth mental health. With millions of young people struggling with mental health problems from marijuana. This mental health epidemic is inseparable from the high potency marijuana marketed today.  
  • Life with Hope: This book is published by Marijuana Anonymous, a spinoff of Alcoholics Anonymous expressly for people struggling with cannabis use disorder to find community and strength. The book captures fifteen stories that share the personal experiences and journeys of Marijuana Anonymous members, especially their mental health struggles and their journey towards improving their mental health through cessation of marijuana use.  

VIDEO: Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring on marijuana marketing

Further Reading  

There are some people who have paid special attention to this issue in their work, especially academic attention. Scholarly work on the relationship between marijuana’s impact on mental health is critical; you can find investigations into the specific dynamics of the relationship below.  

 Contemporary Health Issues on Marijuana: This Oxford University Press anthology, edited by Dr. Kevin Sabet and Dr. Ken Winters, juxtaposes marijuana’s incredibly high prevalence with its overlooked potential to cause serious harm to oneself and others. This is looked into from a health perspective, and the contributions offer different perspectives on both marijuana’s clear negative impacts on health and mental health, including neurological development, and its contested claim of medical value despite the deleterious effects it produces. 

Marijuana and Madness: This Cambridge University Press monograph, edited by Dr. Deepak D’Souza, delves deeply and critically into the medical claims of marijuana for treating mental health, while devoting much of its space to discussing marijuana’s impact on mental illness, especially psychosis and schizophrenia. Special attention is paid to marijuana use’s impact on neurodevelopment as well. This book is a great resource for anyone who wants to understand this topic from a more academic perspective.  

In Smokescreen: What The Marijuana Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know, Kevin Sabet takes on all things related to the marijuana industry’s negative impact on society, including mental health. Just like in his op-ed mentioned above, Sabet threads the needle between criticizing marijuana commercialization and spreading awareness for the mental health issues that marijuana is causing, especially in youth. One story is from a young veteran named Andy, as addiction does not discriminate, who reveals “Marijuana killed my soul and ruined my brain” in his suicide note.