
Using both tobacco and marijuana is tied to significantly higher odds for depression and anxiety, a new study suggests. Among nearly 54,000 U.S. adults, those who used both substances experienced anxiety or depression at nearly twice the rate of nonusers, researchers found. “Smoking weed and tobacco does not help to deal with anxiety and depression, and may exacerbate mental health issues in the long run,” said lead researcher Nhung Nguyen, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. More research addressing the use of tobacco and cannabis is needed to understand effective prevention and treatment efforts for this “emerging public health issue,” Nguyen added. Co-use of marijuana and tobacco is increasing nationwide as more states legalize cannabis, the researchers noted, suggesting this could set the stage for mental health issues. “Coordinating tobacco and cannabis cessation with mental health treatment may be beneficial for people with co-use of tobacco and cannabis,” Nguyen said. “In addition, screening for use of tobacco and cannabis should be implemented in mental health treatment settings.” Why the combination of tobacco and marijuana might cause depression and anxiety isn’t clear. “The interaction between tobacco and cannabis on health in general and on mental health in particular is not fully understood,” Nguyen said. Moreover, this study can’t prove that the combination of tobacco and pot causes depression and anxiety,… read on > read on >