Association between cannabis use and major depressive disorder: a population-based cross-sectional study

作者：Yanzhe Ning, 孙吉高, Jiayan Zhou, YX Wang, Zucheng Shang, Mengfan Li, Hongzheng Li, Ya Xuan Sun, Ying Wu, Themistocles L. Assimes, Hui Zhang, Guang Chen · 发表于：Journal of Cannabis Research · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1186/s42238-026-00396-x · 研究领域：Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research、Pharmacological Receptor Mechanisms and Effects、Psychedelics and Drug Studies

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a chronic, recurrent psychiatric illness with challenging management, partly due to the heterogeneity of clinical presentations, unpredictable course and episodes, and variable treatment responses. Cannabis may alleviate depression by promoting glutamate, GABA, and dopamine, but results from previous studies remain controversial or inconsistent. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between cannabis use and the prevalence and severity of MDD in adults. METHODS: This study utilized data from the UK Biobank, with cannabis use as the exposure variable and depression as the outcome. Depression was ascertained using six distinct definitions, including broad clinical diagnosis, symptom-based criteria, self-reported depression, electronic health record-based diagnoses, and a strictly defined diagnostic category based on guideline criteria. C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and markers of biological aging were extracted from the database and analyzed as potential mediators. Both logistic and linear regression models were employed to examine the correlation. Subgroup analyses were used to explore potential effect modifiers while sensitivity analyses were used to ensure the robustness of the regression models. RESULTS: A total of 33,749 individuals were included in the final analysis, with 50.5% being male. Cannabis use was associated with a 27% increase in the odds of depression prevalence (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.27; ...